REPORT #1119 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Jamie Pierre, Seattle, Wa with his career best caught near Punta Colorada
Windy conditions subsided by the weekend and the inshore fishing was as good as it gets for small roosters, jacks, pargo and a few cabrilla. Offshore action continued to be somewhat spotty until Wednesday when schools of tuna were found outside the lighthouse. Wednesday was the first time this year that I saw dorado only a few hundred yards off the rocks at Punta Colorada. One did bite a marabou deceiver but fell off. In the meantime, Jamie Pierre, Seattle, WA landed the largest rooster of his long fishing career.
Beach action consisted of a mixed bag with mostly small roosters, jacks, pompano and a few ladyfish.
I was on the beach early Thursday morning in the gray light at Rincon and hung a nice jack in the high teens on my third cast of the morning. The roosters continued to feed while I landed him!
All in all, one of the best weeks of fishing this year.
Tip: When fishing close to shore in the rocks, try a small pink and white Clouser slow retrieved for good pargo action.
Water temperature 73-87
Air temperature 74-95
Humidity 28%
Wind: SW 11 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 11 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:08 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Bob Hoyt reported a good tuna bite outside the Boca along with some yellowtail out toward San Lazzero. Several boats also spotted a couple of marlin---cold water notwithstanding.
The esteros continued to produce good catches of grouper and cabrilla. The locals are limiting out on corvina from the recently completed dock.
Water temperature 60 - 66
Air temperature 72 -90
Humidity 70 %
Wind: S 12 knots
Conditions: Sunny
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:19 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
The blue water is only about a mile off the beach, the seas are calm, and conditions are overall perfect. But, fishing has been only average. This could be attributed to the full moon cycle, with the action expected to heat up in the next couple of weeks.
The average is still about 1 - 3 sailfish a day per boat, and the 15 boat fleet is getting about 3 blue marlin a day. The water is warming up however, and the blues are moving out to about the 30 mile mark.
Cindy Belmonte of Simi Valley, CA fished with Captain Margarito releasing 3 sailfish and taking a small dorado.
The inshore action for roosters is excellent all up and down the coast.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 79-100
Humidity 55%
Wind: WSW 9 mi
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 9 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:23 p.m. CDT
Cabo San Lucas
BILLFISH: The marlin bite at the beginning of the week was not bad but as soon as the cold water started to wrap around the Cape the fish moved up into the sea of Cortez. The ones that stayed around here stopped biting. At the end of the week you were lucky to get a chance to throw bait at a fish.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: There were no fish at the beginning of the week but at the end of the week there were some football fish found on the Pacific side around the San Jaime Banks. Boats that were brave enough to challenge the 10 mile weather were able to get a decent catch of Yellowfin in the 10-15 pound class just to the south of the San Jaime. Best lures were cedar plugs and small dark colored feathers. The fish were associated with spotted porpoise.
DORADO There were some dorado found at the end of the week in the warmer water south of the San Jaime Bank in the same area where the yellowfin were found. They were decent fish in the 20-35 pound class and most bit on the same lures as the yellowfin.
INSHORE: This was the type of fishing to do this week as the sierra bite turned on. The inshore bite on the sierra and on small yellowtail was almost wide open. Almost all of this bite took place on the Cortez side of the Cape, but for those boats willing to challenge the currents and waves on the Pacific side, there was a decent bite on Snapper up at the El Arco area as well.
George & Mary Landrum
Water temperature 67 - 75
Air temperature 71 - 99
Humidity 31%
Wind: SW 9 to 12 knots
Conditions: Mostly Sunny
Visibility 13 miles
Sunrise 6:35 a.m. MST
Sunset 8:07 p.m. MST
