Wahoo and Striped Marlin Highlight Local Action
Capt. Eric Brictson
May 23, 2010
San Jose del Cabo - Saltwater Fishing Report
May 23, 2010
Days are progressively starting to feel more like summer than spring here in Southern Baja. Tourists are enjoying plenty of sunshine, not many clouds in the skies, high temperatures ranging in the upper 80s. Southern swells have diminished for the time being. Ocean currents are on a warming trend, now averaging 76 to 80 degrees throughout the region. Clean blue water is found within a mile or so of shore and sportfishing fleets have found that the more productive action is within several miles.
Predictions of breezes from the south have not been that accurate, as on most days the wind was blowing from the north, not too strong though and anglers had comfortable fishing conditions for the most part.
Bait situation still is a day to day deal, no live sardinas to speak of, but more caballito are appearing, with bolito and mullet making a presence as well. Charters are involved in more surface trolling with various lures and rigged baits than anything else, not all that much action has been found off the bottom, a few pargo, but more triggerfish than anything else. The past couple of days the fishing action is showing signs of really busting loose, no huge numbers of fish, but the quality was definitely there.
Striped marlin action really improved around spots off of Chileno to the Gordo Banks, the stripers would readily strike on slow trolling or cast caballito, most of the fish weighing in the 100 to 120 pound range. Also more dorado appearing in the daily counts, some of them up to thirty pounds.
Yellowfin tuna were encountered traveling with porpoise, it was matter of being in the right place with the correct offering, some anglers were fortunate while trolling various lures, though live bait produced more hook ups. Sizes on the tuna ranging from 10 to 80 pounds, larger fish were reportedly hooked and lost, particularly from the Gordo Banks area. Commercial tuna boats were seen in the vicinity, which is a shame, because it is just when some more consistent reports for tuna were coming in.
Wahoo action continues to be one of the main highlights, quality sized fish of 40 to 80 pounds are hitting along the entire coastal section from Cabo San Lucas to the San Luis Bank. The word has traveling fast and certain areas, such as Santa Maria, are seeing heavy boat pressure, which can always make trolling for wahoo more of a challenge. Most charters are accounting for one or two wahoo, some as many as four or five and as is normal when trolling for wahoo, anglers loose as many strikes as they actually land. These ‘hoo have been running larger than normal and are slicing through wire leaders at times as though they were monofilament. These fish were striking on a wide range of lures and baits, it was more of a matter of finding the active fish and staying away from the more crowded fishing grounds.
Larger sized roosterfish have been seen chasing baitfish along the beach stretches and as the preferred mullet become more readily available we anticipate some wide open action on this jacks in the coming weeks. Should also be dogtooth snapper and maybe pompano in the mix.
The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita/Puerto Los Cabos sent out approximately 64 charters for the week with anglers reporting a fish count of: 11 striped marlin, 3 mako shark, 12 hammerhead shark, 24 yellowfin tuna, 22 dorado, 9 cabrilla, 19 various pargo species, 10 jack crevalle, 24 Mexican bonito, 10 roosterfish, 6 pompano, 28 sierra and 65 wahoo.
Good Fishing, Eric
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