Read Carefully!

Endless Season Update 08/28/2009
REPORT #1180 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape

Pretty sure it is a tuna but is it...15, 25, 50, 90 or 120 pounds?

Based on sample online reports this week, everyone agreed that billfishing was off. However, one report suggested “the billfishing has slowed, as most anglers are targeting the tuna and dorado.”

Another report begins, “fishing seemed to be a roller coaster ride. We had some great days and some slow days.

Then…wait…wait…keep reading! The report continues, “But, overall the fishing was good. We saw many big tuna again this past week, the biggest weighing in at 120 pounds and many more in the 50 to 90 pound range were also weighed in.”

Another report also alluded to a good tuna bite with tuna averaging 25 to 40 pounds and once again, wait…wait…wait…”the largest this week 120 pounds.”

Then comes---“dorado are plentiful, both inside and outside.”

“Inshore fishing has been very consistent with pargo and pompano taking baits daily. The
roosters are smaller this week.”

“Bait has been scarcer than normal. Mostly sardine has been available this week.”

Then my final source, a local with no boats or rooms to rent sent the following:

“Things are very slow. A few schoolie dorado off the light house and a very slow tuna bite on 15 to 25 pound tuna fishing the same area. South of Los Frailes a few tuna if you are lucky enough to find the porpoise. Very slow on marlin and sails; inshore is tough as well. Not many boats going out either. All is very quiet on the East Cape.”

Current East Cape Weather http://tiny.cc/EastCapeWeather303

Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico

Barbra and Bruce Carter, from Hayward, CA, limited out in the bay on grouper, corvina, bass and two snook. And Mark Wisdom, a surfer from Cabo, broke the ice with four wahoo fishing out of the camp on Cabo San Lazaro. He came for the waves which were great ,but topped it off with the wahoo.

Current Magdalena Bay Weather http://tiny.cc/MagBayWeather150

Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico

The blue water is just off the beach, with the average surface temperature at 87°. Due to the absence of tourism, only a couple of boats are going out each day, getting about one or two sailfish per boat. Dorado fishing is slow, and the water is too warm for yellowfin tuna or marlin.
The very good inshore action we have been having shut down this week. The fish are still here, but the surf was huge all up and down the coast. The bait fish can't handle the heavy surf, so the game fish have followed them into the deeper water.

Cheva and I fished with fly fishing clients, Scott and Christine Repass, of New Jersey, down south at Puerto Vicente Guerrero, and did not raise a fish. We also had to move around quite a bit, covering a lot of areas, to keep out of the stained water. Even though we are not getting any rain on the coast, the mountains are getting plenty, with the rivers discoloring the water near their outlet.

Adolfo, on the panga Dos Hermanos, reported the same conditions to the North of Zihuatanejo; not catching a single roosterfish for his three days on the water..…Ed Kunze

Current Zihuatanejo Weather http://tiny.cc/zihuatanejo582


Cabo San Lucas

Striped marlin action has been close, between the beach and five miles offshore up on the inside of the Golden Gate Bank. Almost everyone in the area released at least one striped marlin, and a few boats, as many as three or four. In the same area, as well as offshore, there were sailfish between 40 and 100 pounds that occasionally attacked in packs with two or three lines going off at once. A few blues and blacks found offshore, but not many were caught. One tail-wrapped black that came in dead taped out at 400 pounds.

Only a few tuna showed up on the Pacific side of the Cape, but In the Golden Gate Bank area, a large pod of dolphin showed the way to a school of tuna averaging 10 pounds...not big, but a lot of them. Occasionally, the first boat of the day to find them caught a larger fish or two.

Water temperatures and surface conditions are perfect for dorado. Although most have been found in the Pacific within five miles of shore, concentrations have been found under floating objects. Our clients on Wednesday were lucky enough to be the first boat to a floating dead seal and managed to pick up four dorado averaging 35 to 40 pounds, kept four more about 15 to 20 pounds and released even more that were smaller.

Panga fishermen are producing a mixed bag, roosterfish, jacks, snapper, grouper, dorado, sailfish, etc...pretty much anything you wanted to fish for...George and Mary Landrum

Current Cabo Weather http://tiny.cc/cabo191