Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Capt. George Landrum
December 1, 2003
Cabo San Lucas - Saltwater Fishing Report
Cabo San Lucas Fishing Report for Nov 23-30, 2003
Capt. George Landrum
"Fly Hooker" Sportfishing
[email protected]
www.flyhooker.com
CABO FISH REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 23 TO NOVEMBER 29, 2003
WEATHER: The weather was great all week long! We had slightly overcast skies at
the beginning of the week but they had cleared completely by the weekend. Our low
temperature was in the mid to low 60’s while the highs may have reached the mid 90’s
but for the most part stayed in the high 80’s. Light winds, clear skies and great
temperatures, one of the reasons we love this time of year!
WATER: Surface conditions were great all week with low, rolling swells that may have
reached three feet in height. The light breeze kept things from getting glassy and was
just enough to make it comfortable. Our water temperatures on the Pacific side stayed
in the 77-78 degree range up to the Golden Gate bank, where it reached to 80 degrees.
On the Cortez side the water was the same with the warm spots being on the 1150 spot
and the Gorda bank. There was no defined temperature break within reach of us.
BAIT: A mix of Caballito and Mackerel with a few Sardinas being found as well. The
bigger baits were the normal $2 per and the Sardinas were running $20 a bucket.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: Just as was the case last week, this week the bite on Marlin seemed
concentrated on the ledge off the lighthouse on the Pacific side or on a slight color
break that ran from 3-5 miles off shore in the same area. The bite was definitely tide
related and in between the change lures worked better than bait. As the tide changed,
dropping down live bait , halfway to the bottom, seemed to produce a number of fish
while the jig bite dropped off. A few Blue Marlin were caught this week, but they have
become a bit of a rarity as the water cools down.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There is no doubt that the Yellowfin Tuna were the fish of the
week. The bite was excellent for the beginning and middle of the week and the fish
ranged from 8 miles to 30 miles out. All the fish found were associated with Porpoise,
and some of the fish were big. One client of ours caught a #140 on live bait after
catching and releasing a couple of 5 pound fish in the same pod of Porpoise. The
majority of the fish were in the 15-25 pound range but there were quite a number of
them that were running 40-60 pounds as well. It seemed that the larger fish had a
preference for live bait or larger lures in dark colors while the smaller fish were striking
feathers, hootchies and cedar plugs. And of course, just as we got used to the bite and
started talking it up, it seemed to die! Why does that happen? On the weekend there
were still Porpoise everywhere but the Tuna , when they did come up, did not stay up.
We will keep our fingers crossed that things change back as quickly as they first
changed!
DORADO: Not a lot to say about the Dorado this week. There were fish caught but the
bite was not very steady or consistent. Those boats having luck with Dorado were
either the first to a floating piece of debris or caught them while fishing for something
else. The fish that were caught were not extremely large either, with most of them in
the 20-30 pound class. The Pacific side, close to home and to shore had a few more
fish show than elsewhere, but that may have been because of the number of boats
concentrated there working the Marlin bite.
WAHOO: There was no consistency to the Wahoo this week, but there were fish
caught. We had clients catch fish of 76 and 45 pounds, but they were blind strikes.
That 76 pound fish sure looked good coming in the boat! Rigged Ballyhoo worked well
as did lures in green/black or blue/black.
INSHORE: There was almost no inshore bite this week as all the action moved just
outside.
NOTES: Good weather, good fishing, good water conditions, well, what am I supposed
to do? Guess I have to go fishing! As soon as this report is finished and I finish my
cup of coffee, I am out of here. I have only one client on the boat today and he has
invited me to come along. Ouch, don’t twist my arm so hard! I am sure we will get fish
and see Whales, Porpoise and Turtles. Oh my goodness, am I ever glad I live here!
Until next week, tight lines!
"Fly Hooker" Daily Catch Reports for Nov 23-30, 2003
Capt. George Landrum
"Fly Hooker" Sportfishing
[email protected]
www.flyhooker.com
WEEKLY FISH COUNT
Striped Marlin: 1 Tagged and released at #160
1 kept at #100 (bleeding badly)
Yellowfin Tuna: 23 kept between #15-#20
2 kept at #35
4 kept at #40
2 kept at #50-#60
Wahoo: 1 kept at #76
1 kept at #45
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 23, 2003
My cup just runs over this week as I have been invited out almost every day. Today
Bob Deeter is back in town, along with his lovely wife Paula and his two daughters.
Just Bob is fishing today and he will be going again on Friday. Since he is by himself,
he has invited me to go with him on the boat today. Since all my “honey Do’s” are
done, I am going! Bob loved the Wahoo he got last trip and now his goal for this trip is
to beat the 25 pound fish he caught last month. I told him that the moon is not quite
right, but he is fishing two days with us and four days on another boat (we were already
booked) so thinks he has a good chance of getting a large Wahoo. Juan and Juan 2
took us out this morning and we went straight south of the Arch, cruising out to 12 miles
before putting the lines in the water. I noticed on the way out that we still had some
vibration on the port side when we were traveling, but it was not as bad as before we
did the work yesterday. The lures went in the water and on the stinger line off the
bridge I put out a rigged Ballyhoo with a black and green skirted jet head in front of it.
Not 15 minutes after the lures went in the water, that rod got a strike. The fish came
off, but almost right away it came back and bit again. Juan 2 set the hook hard and
handed the rod down. Bob got in the chair and started working the fish. No jumps, and
the first run was a long one. Maybe....as the fish got closer to the boat after the second
run, I saw the signs, the rod tip jumped up and down as the fish shook it’s head, a
Wahoo for sure! As Bob worked the fish closer we knew for sure when the long shape
started to flash down deep! Bob kept the rod tip down and worked the fish closer, Juan
2 got hold of the small diameter wire leader then placed the gaff right in back of the
pectoral fin area and we hit it on the head with the bat. In the boat and high fives all
around! The fish measured 67 inches from the tip of the nose to the fork of the tail and
weighed 76 pounds on our scale, a very nice Wahoo in any ones book! Well, if all the
requests for fish were that easy to take care of! Bob had a monster smile on his face
all the rest of the trip. A little later we got to an area where there were already five
other boats working. Lots of Porpoise, maybe 40 Frigate birds and lots of Boobies and
terns working. On our first pass we hooked up to three Bonita, and as the guys reeled
them in, I dropped back a Mackerel. As the last Bonita came into the boat I got a hit on
the Mackerel. About 10 minutes later we gaffed a Yellowfin of about 35 pounds!
Another pass and another Bonita, which we released. Another pass and a smaller
Yellowfin of about 12 pounds. By then the fish were feeling the pressure from all the
other boats that had arrived and the bite turned off. We worked our way back tot he
Marina and when we came in we were flying the Wahoo flag and two white Tuna flags!
Bob said it was one of the best trips ever, as he was able to get the big Wahoo he had
wanted, gotten Tuna for smoking and ”had not seen a stinkin’ Marlin all day”. Yep, I
have to agree Bob, it was a great day! Let’s hope that Friday is as good for you!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 24 NOVEMBER, 2003
Our good friend Bill Gowder is in town for a couple of days and is fishing with us
today and golfing tomorrow. He is also having Ken Mattney at “High 5” lures make a
bunch of custom ones up to take to our friend John Eads in Guam. Bill will drop them
off, fish a day on John’s 31 Bertram, the “Lucky Strike”, and them return home to the
Philippines. Meanwhile, I get to fish with him! Like I said yesterday, my cup runs over!
Juan and Manuel took off and we again went straight south of the Arch, only today we
stopped just eight miles out. We slowed down to check why the stern bilge pump was
not working and found that the switch had failed. A quick fix and we put the lures, or
should I say lure, in the water. I had just finished rigging another Ballyhoo for the
stinger rod, Juan had set out a medium black/green “High 5” straight runner on the
short rigger and was getting ready to set the long rigger when the short rigger popped
loose and the line started to scream out! This was at 7:05 in the morning! Bill was on
the rod in a flash and after a hard fight with lots of jumps and thrashings had the fish
near the boat. The fish made another run. And another one. And one more. Then it
tired out and we were able to get it close enough to check it out. I had the tag stick
ready but as we leadered the fish we could see it bleeding heavily from the gills. The
trailing hook had gotten him deep so we went ahead and boated him. A nice start to
the day and it was only 7:50, and we had a Striped Marlin estimated at #100 already. A
few minutes later we spotted a tail on the surface and tossed a live bait but there was
no interest from the fish. At about 11 am we got to an area where two boats were
working. There were about 7 Frigate birds there as well as a few Porpoise and the
boats had been catching Tuna. Just as we arrived, one of the boats landed a fish, then
blasted right through the school as they ran for home. That put the fish down and we
did not see any other action until we got back to the are 8 miles out where we got the
Marlin this morning. Then, Manuel spotted another Striped Marlin tailing, Juan tossed
a bait, and...once again no interest was shown. Juan reeled in the bait, we resumed
trolling and there was another tail! Again, a repeat, with no interest shown by the fish.
Bait back in the boat, resume trolling and not 3 minutes later a hard strike on the long
rigger lure! I grabbed the rod, the fish came out of the water (Bill said around #200)
and as I set the hook the fish threw the lure! Oh well, just not my day! We had a great
time, caught a nice Marlin and had a good ride. Thanks for inviting me Bill, I hope you
have a great time golfing tomorrow!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 25 NOVEMBER, 2003
Our friend Ed Weiss and his wife Paula are back in town and Ed reserved today,
Thursday and Saturday for fishing on the “Fly Hooker”. We met last night and he
informed us that he would not be fishing on Saturday so we just have him today and
Thursday. If todays fishing was any indication, he needs that extra day of rest! Juan
and Manuel went to the south of the Arch again today, and they were able to get into
the Yellowfin Tuna. I think that Ed angled most of the fish, and they included one
Yellowfin of about #60, one about #50 and seven others between #15 and #20. The
#50 was the toughest fight as the fish had been snagged at the pectoral fin and Ed had
to fight it in from the side! The water was rough and Ed’s bone spurs in his shoulders
were bothering him, so they came in at 12:30. A bunch of other boats came in early as
well due to the water conditions. Ed was happy with the day’s results and said that the
day off between the fishing days is really needed for him! Thanks Ed, we will see you
Thursday morning!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 26, 2003
Joanne and Steve Coutrakis booked the “Fly Hooker” for today and they are fishing
with two other couples. I did get a chance to meet everyone this morning but as bad as
I am at names, the rest of them have vanished from my memory. Guess I will never be
a politician or timeshare salesman! They came in early so I have only the events as
related to me by Juan and Manuel, but it seems that they did fairly well. When they left
this morning I remember Joanne telling me that they would like for everyone to get a
chance to catch a Marlin, saying that as a bit of a joke, but knowing that it sometimes
happens. It did not happen this trip however. They did get into the porpoise about 15
miles out and had a great time catching Yellowfin Tuna. Four of the fish went between
#40 and #50, the other 11 fish were in the #20 range. With everyone tired of reeling in
fish and with the wind starting to pick up, they decided to come in early. Thanks folks,
we are glad you had a good time and had plenty of fish to fill the cooler with!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 27 NOVEMBER, 2003
This was the last scheduled fishing day for Ed and Paula Weiss, and Ed was still
looking for his Marlin. He had recovered from the fishing on Wednesday and is ready
to go at it again. Juan and Manuel headed out tot he south and ran across three
different Porpoise pods within 6 miles of the arch. They could see Tuna in the
Porpoise but could not get anything to bite. Knowing that the focus was on Marlin, they
did not work the Porpoise for long, but continued to work just offshore, since that
appeared to be where the Marlin had been the last few days, all within 8 miles of the
Cape. It was not a wide open bite by any means, but Ed did get to fight, tag and
release a Striped Marlin estimated at #160. They also had shots at two other fish that
came up on the lures and struck, took line then threw the hooks. Not a bad day, the
water was nice and there was action. Ed finally got the Marlin! Thanks Ed and Paula,
we look forward to having you aboard the “Fly Hooker” on you next trip!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR NOVEMBER 28, 2003
Our friend Tim McGee is back in town and has a few friends staying at his house
with him. Hey George, is the boat available this week? Sure Tim, come on down to the
dock on Friday morning and we will get you out! No problem and off they go. It is the
first time for a few folks, but they are determined to catch fish. Juan and Manuel end
up 27 miles out, chasing Porpoise and they get six or seven Tuna out of them, the
biggest one around 35 pounds and the rest just a little smaller. Tim just happens to be
standing next to a rod when a fish strikes and he had a choice of handing either the rod
or his beer to the person next to him, so of course he passed over the beer and took up
the rod. He was wearing his fighting belt and it took him a very short time before he
had the Wahoo, estimated at 40-45 pounds, to the boat for gaffing. The young man on
the trip caught the biggest Tuna, and it was his first fish ever. Tim told me that the
swells were around three feet and there was no wind chop, so conditions were great!
Glad to hear it, and glad you guys had a good time! Thanks Tim!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 29 NOVEMBER, 2003
Ron and Chris, who fished several days ago with Big John, are fishing with us again
today. They have invited Walter and his wife Debbie to fish with them. Ron and Chris
had tried to fish another boat we had arranged for them on the 27th but there were
problems and the trip did not go at all as planned, there were boat problems and no fish
caught. We had our fingers crossed this morning that Chris would finally be able to
feel a pull at the end of the line. Walter has some experience at big game fishing.
Around six years ago he caught a #600+ Blue Marlin here in Cabo. Now that he has
his trophy fish, he just wants meat. The same with Chris and Ron so Juan and his
brother Juan take off to target Tuna. They worked their way out 17 miles to the south
before turning to the north-west, towards the San Jaime bank. Lots of Whales, lots of
Porpoise, but no fish. Not one strike all day. The water conditions were perfect, the
boat ride was nice, but it was supposed to be a fishing trip! Chris got the blame, of
course. New guy, not one strike two trips in a row...don’t take it personally Chris, but
there just might be something to it. How good is your golf game? Other than no fish, it
was a great day on the water. I’m sorry guys, I hope that next time you go the bite is
better. Until next week, Tight lines!
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