BajaNomad

'Rooster Alley' Pays Dividends; Zihuatanejo Wide Open

bajafly - 6-5-2004 at 05:16 AM


REPORT FROM GARY GRAHAM'S BAJA ON THE FLY:

PROVIDING QUALITY SALTWATER FLY-FISHING 365 DAYS A YEAR SOUTH OF THE BORDER.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: bajafly@bajafly.com; USA toll-free (800)
919-2252; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373

Sat., June 05, 2004. Report covers the period Sat.-Fri. (5/29-6/4)

EAST CAPE, MAGDALENA BAY, ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO; AND SAN JOSE, GUATEMALA CONDITIONS

EAST CAPE, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

IN GENERAL: On Tues. (6/1): Ken and Amy Potter and I just returned from our first trip. It was a relatively slow day on the beach. ?Slow? or not, Ken did manage to land his first rooster. He caught it while blind casting at Rooster Alley early in the a.m. He was very excited, which might be the understatement of the day. Yesterday (6/4), action was fast and furious at Rooster Alley. The group landed several roosters to 18-pounds. We also hooked a few Bubba class that zing-powed us.

-East Cape report by Baja on the Fly guide John Dickenson

Another stellar week regardless of the direction you headed or the species you targeted.

AIR & SEA -

Water temperature 70-84
Air temperature 73-90
Humidity about 46%
Wind: 9 mph from the SE
Conditions: Clear
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 6:32 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:02 p.m. MDT

June 9 Last Quarter, June 17 New, June 27 First Quarter July 2, Full,

? OFFSHORE: Tuna boiling, billfish spoiling for a fight, dorado with shoulders slamming the teasers should be enough to make you smile.
? INSHORE: Be rigged and ready when you board the boat so you don?t miss any opportunities.
? BEACH: Plenty of shots, patience and a good casting arm are an asset.

BILLFISH ? Another great week for the pointy nosed ones.

YELLOWFIN TUNA ? Plenty and they are biting, but you will have to run a minimum of 25 miles to find them

DORADO ? Good sized fish but not the herds.

ROOSTERFISH\ JACK CREVALLE ? Had a slow day or two this week but it turned right back on.

BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK ? Not a primary target these days.

PARGO AND CABRILLA ? Pretty good show on a few of the rock reefs.

SIERRA ? More than needed.

MAGDALENA BAY, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO

IN GENERAL: Weather improved this week, but most of the fleet focused on scallops. (They are delicious!) Little action reported either at the entrada or up in the esteros.

Water Temperature 64-70
Air Temperature 69-77
Humidity 69%
Wind Calm
Conditions Scattered Clouds
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 6:36 a.m. MDT
Sunset 8:14 p.m. MDT

June 9 Last Quarter, June 17 New, June 27 First Quarter July 2, Full,

YELLOWTAIL ? Cool water few fish.

CORVINA ? Still the best action throughout the bay.

SNOOK ? Nope.

HALIBUT ? Sandy beaches still producing fair action.

SIERRA ? Still hearing rumors of a good show near Tasco inside the bay.


ZIHUATANEJO, MAINLAND MEXICO

IN GENERAL: The 80? blue water is only about 3 miles off the beach. The fishing is rated as good for all species. However, we did get a couple of days of stormy weather this week, making it too tough to try to fish.

The rainy season has arrived and within a week, the surrounding will be green again. This is the time of the year when the blue water (read game species) comes in very close to the beach.

While guiding BOF client Michael Bebee of Marin, Calif., Mike took 6 nice yellowfin tuna. We were on the panga ?Zapatito Gordo? with Captain Cali. All the fish were caught casting into the boils among the birds and porpoise. We located the school of fish only 7 miles from Zihuatanejo Bay.

Sailfish action is seeing about a 2 to 3 fish per boat average. Captain Ruben on the ?Yellowfin II? came over and joined us on the tuna school after releasing 3 sailfish for his clients. He ended his day by 10 with the 3 sails and 4 nice tuna.

The roosters and jack crevalle are here also, but the offshore storms have the beaches in a rough condition with the high surf. Adolpho, on the panga ?Dos Hermanos,? and Marcos on the panga ?Oceana? did manage to find good concentrations of both. Adolpho got his roosters and jacks 26 miles south, and Marcos got several large jacks just in front of Ixtapa and the marina Ixtapa.

Water Temperature 72-78
Air Temperature 77-84
Humidity 84%
Wind East 17 mph
Conditions Rain
Visibility 7 miles
Sunrise 7:10 a.m. CDT
Sunset 8:18 p.m. CDT

June 9 Last Quarter, June 17 New, June 27 First Quarter July 2, Full,
Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo report by Ed Kunze

SAN JOSE, GUATEMALA

IN GENERAL: With full schedules of boat maintenance and no clients, the fleet remained at the dock this week. Conditions remained consistent with last week?s report. Rain ? the lifeblood of our tropical climate ? continued in the evenings. All our boats are now fine-tuned, cleaned up from normal wear and tear and ready to rip.

Water Temperature 79-85
Air Temperature 80-82
Humidity 94 %
Wind Calm.
Conditions Chance of T-storms
Visibility 14 miles
Sunrise 5:34 a.m. CST
Sunset 6:27 p.m. CST

June 9 Last Quarter, June 17 New, June 27 First Quarter July 2, Full,

Baja on the Fly's Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa M. McFarlin.
. . .

CHECKLIST OF THINGS TO BRING TO THE EAST CAPE

(We?ll continue to publish this every month or so for new recipients of our report, but we suggest you print it out and keep it handy.)

? _______ FISHING CLOTHING - Lightweight, fast-drying technical clothing.
Long sleeve shirts and long pants if you burn easily.
? _______ TENNIS SHOES, BOAT SHOES OR RUBBER SOLED SANDALS.
. _______ HAT - For protection from the sun.
? _______ POLARIZED SUN GLASSES. (All dark glasses are not polarized. Be sure yours are.)
? _______ WINDBREAKER OR SWEATSHIRT.
? _______ SHORTS.
? _______ SWIMSUIT.
? _______ COSMETICS OR SHAVING GEAR.
? _______ SUN PROTECTION (lotion or block.)
? _______ LIP BALM.
? _______ SEASICKNESS MEDICATION.
? _______ TYLENOL OR ASPIRIN.
? _______ BENEDRYL SPRAY OR OINTMENT.
? _______ FLASHLIGHT (For walking on the beach at night.)
? _______ CAMERA, EXTRA FILM.
? _______ VIDEO CAMERA AND TAPES (Optional.)
. _______ EXTRA BATTERIES.
. _______ SNORKEL EQUIPMENT (Optional. Can be rented there.)
. _______ U.S. $1 DOLLAR BILLS (For tips.)

SHIRTS AND SHOES ARE REQUIRED IN THE DINING ROOM

FISHING GEAR YOU MAY NEED:

See Gary Graham?s ?No Nonsense Guide to Fly Fishing Southern Baja? or his website: www.bajafly.com.

? ________8-, 9-, or 10-weight rod for surf fishing and casting. A 9-weight is ideal if you are bringing only one rod. Add a 12-weight if you are fishing from a boat. Rental tackle is available, but must be reserved.
? ________Reel(s) direct or anti-reverse, anodized. Good disc drag and plenty of backing. Reels with a quick take-apart feature are ideal for cleaning.
? ________Lines - Beach and Inshore: Intermediate or sink-tip for rocky areas. Full line (350 grain) or shooting head for sandy areas. Offshore: 10- or 12-weight rod. Full flyline (650 grain) shooting head/intermediate. For marlin and big tuna: 14-weight, quality reel, lots of backing 125#, and 36-inch bite tippet. Extra fly lines and shooting heads -- better safe than sorry.
? ________Leaders and Tippet.
? ________Stripping Basket.
? ________Flies. Contact your fly shop for the most current flies in use.
? ________Hook sharpener.
? ________Foot protection for the rocks.