Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Capt. Tracy Ehrenberg
February 28, 2003
Cabo San Lucas - Saltwater Fishing Report

FEBRUARY 21 ST TO 27TH, 2003

BILLFISH: Wow!......is all I can say about the fishing this week. I don’t think we have had a February like this since 1992. Not only are we swamped with striped marlin the first swordfish of the year was also caught. Traditionally the first of the year is caught in February, but usually when the water is cooler – this 220 lb beauty, (see photo below) was caught by Ted Burger from Bimidji, Minnesota aboard “Kathy Too”, his own boat, 18 miles out from Punta Gorda. Ted has fished Cabo since 1989, spending three months a year here; so he was thrilled to bag a broadbill, the most elusive of all billfish species. The fish took Ted 45 minutes to land on 50 lb test. Once they spotted the fish they took a bait and killed it before casting it right on top of the swordfish, which it took more from irritation than hunger. A couple of days after we heard about the second swordfish of the year being landed, this one weighing in at 150 lbs caught by Paul Bender from Newport Beach, Ca. taking just 12 minutes to boat on 50 lb test aboard “Summertime”. The striped marlin catches this week were fabulous boats averaged from one to five each per day, with the usual catch being three of four. Top boat for us was “Ni Modo” with eight catches for Michael Dumas and Marcelo Cano from Texas, on the 25th. We had several boats with five in a day: “Tracy Ann” on the 24th for anglers Patrick Riley, Leslie Sullivan & Ray Finlay from Northbrook, IL. This same day Rebecca & Dan Cushman from Issaquah, Wa also released five aboard “Karina”. Next day out Valerie & Michael Reisch, along with friends Wayne & Donna Purvis from Canada, matched this aboard “Valerie”. I wish we could mention everybody else that had quadruple & triple marlin days, but there were a lot - we had many happy anglers this week. The marlin bite started out last week-end off of Palmilla and is not gradually moving up further into the Sea of Cortez – most of the catches were off of La Laguna, just past San Jose, 8-13 miles offshore, but as we close, boats are heading even further, about 25 miles out from Cabo up to Punta Gorda and Destiladeres. Pisces anglers caught a total of 147 striped marlin this week of which 143 were released. Weights were from 120 to 200 lbs. Our overall catch success rate this week was ninety-six percent, our billfish success rate was ninety-three percent. OTHER SPECIES: We had a couple of nice runs on yellowfin tuna, towards the end of the week, thing is most boats missed it, as they were going the opposite way in search of marlin. Tuna were found 18 miles off of the Old Lighthouse and also at San Jaime, resulting in catches of up to 20 in the 15 to 30 lb class. Pisces had close to seventy this week. Dorado catches were on the slow side with just the odd one here and there picked up whilst trolling, sizes from 20 to 40 lbs. Inshore small roosters, sierra and some snapper were taken. WEATHER CONDITIONS: Skies mostly sunny, early mornings are cool, seas moderate. AVERAGE WATER TEMP: 72 F BEST LURES: Live bait and blue/white, green/yellow for marlin, cedar plugs and feathers for tuna. Based on the catches of Pisces Fleet by Tracy Ehrenberg

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