Dorado Heats Up as Lowell Dampens Update Sept. 14…
Endless Season Update 09/10/2008
REPORT #1131 "Below the Border" Saltwater Fly-Fishing reports since 1996
East Cape
Update Sept. 14… Friday skies were blue and it was business (fishing) as usual. Marlin action still was dismal.
Dorado action picked right back up and while few boats have been going out the ones that did had good scores. Yellowfin tuna
were there but mostly small fish. It is probably going to take a few days for the beaches to clear up and be worth checking
out.
As predicted, the dorado action heated up in the wake of Karina. While most were schoolie-sized there were a few larger fish
mixed in. By the weekend another tropical depression “Lowell’ entered the picture. After heading out to the west, Lowell made
a hard right turn back toward Southern Baja. During the storm, few boats that have gone out today delayed until 9:30 when
the rain quit. As soon as the storm passes we would expect the dorado action to resume.
The tuna action had slowed somewhat before the weekend as well.
Inshore the water is off color from the wind waves caused by TD Lowell.
Water temperature 76-87
Air temperature 74-91
Humidity 90%
Wind: S 14 to 20 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:04 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:27 p.m. MDT
Magdalena Bay, Baja Mexico
Another week of rain kept most of the boats close to home this week. According to some of the commercial pangas the
yellowtail, dorado and small tuna were still in the same area near Cabo Lazaro but no one was out to fish them.
In the Esteros, the combination of stormy weather and big tides prevented any fishing at all this week.
Bob Hoyt
Water temperature 60 - 77
Air temperature 73 -90
Humidity 100 %
Wind: NW 18 to 24 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:12 a.m. MDT
Sunset 7:36 p.m. MDT
Zihuatanejo, Mainland Mexico
With the recent rains, the blue water has moved out to the 15 mile mark, with a distinctive weed line defining the separation of
off colored water and the blue water. The demarcation line is also holding game fish.
Martin, on the 35 foot cruiser Nautilus, fished the weed line for this last 5 days straight, averaging at least one 20 pound plus
dorado and 2 sails a day. His 5 day total was 11 sailfish and 6 dorado.
September is usually the wettest month of the year for us, but most of the rain comes at night, with the fleet being able to fish
every day so far. The only problem we had with the weather this week was, due to the heavy outflow from the rivers, the
inshore water was murky. Plus, the waves along the shoreline this week were very high. These two conditions combined for
very tough roosterfish fishing.
Ed Kunze
Water temperature 80 - 84
Air temperature 73-93
Humidity 83%
Wind: calm
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 5 miles
Sunrise 7:33 a.m. CDT
Sunset 7:52 p.m. CDT
Cabo San Lucas
BILLFISH: The Striped Marlin continued to bite this week, surprising everyone since the water is so warm. The Sailfish
showed up as well, not in the numbers as on the mainland but everyone had shots at multiple fish this week. I did not hear of
anyone getting hooked up to big Blue or Black Marlin this week. Most of the Marlin action took place in the band of cooler
water along the shoreline on the Pacific side while the Sailfish were in the warmer water just outside. Live bait got the most
attention form the striped Marlin this week, but you had to be quick or the Dorado would take the bait before the Stripers got a
chance to chew.
YELLOWFIN TUNA We had good Tuna action this week on fish that ranged between 15 and 150 pounds. Most of the
fish were between 30 and 50 pounds but the same schools were delivering #150 fish on drop-back baits or deep drifted live
baits. The school fish were hitting almost everything, feathers to Blue Marlin lures worked but the best action was on the
smaller lures in the 4-6 inch size. A few boats loaded their clients with Tuna in the smaller size range by chumming heavily
with sardines while in the Porpoise, then drifting with sardines on small hooks with a small piece of lead several feet above the
hook. The Majority of Tuna action took place along the warm-cold water boundary on the Pacific side, around 12-18 miles
offshore. I don’t know how much longer it will last because a couple of Tuna Seiners showed up on Saturday.
DORADO Definitely the fish of the week, Dorado made a strong showing in our area. From the Punta Gorda area all
the way around the Cape to the Todo Santos area on the Pacific the fish were chewing on anything put in the water. Like I said
above about the Marlin, there were Dorado taking live bait away from the stripers. Covering the water while trolling at 9 knots
located the fish, then dropping back live bait or casting flies to fish following the one hooked on the troll resulted in steady,
exciting action. Most of the fish were in the 12-15 pound class but occasional fish ran to 50 pounds.
WAHOO Wahoo made a showing this week offshore around the San Jaime and Golden Gate banks as well as in the
open water. They were not large fish on average, just around 30 pounds, but at least they were there!
INSHORE: Large swells made inshore fishing a bit uncomfortable during the middle of the week, but boats that
targeted them did well on Roosterfish averaging 15-25 pounds. Slow trolled Mullet and Sardines worked for the Roosters.
Most of the Pangas were doing well on Dorado and we had one friend get a $150 pound Tuna while fishing on a Panga, as well
as others to #50 and plenty of Dorado.
George & Mary Landrum
Water temperature 73 - 88
Air temperature 75 - 90
Humidity 92%
Wind: WNW 17 to 23 knots
Conditions: Mostly Cloudy
Visibility 6 miles
Sunrise 7:05 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:28 p.m. MST
|
![[*]](images/xmbforum/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
