    
George Landrum
Unregistered guest
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 | | Posted on Monday, January 27, 2003 - 1:32 pm: | |
Subject: Cabo Fishing Report
Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT FOR JANUARY 20-26, 2003
WEATHER: We warmed up a little bit this week as our nighttime lows have been in the mid to
low 60’s and the daytime highs up to 94. Sort of reminds us of summer! The winds have been
almost non-existent and there was only lightly scattered clouds most of the week with the
exception of Saturday as the northern edges of a system blew on through and brought us a fairly
heavy haze in the afternoon. (When Tammy Does The Shimmy At The Fish Fry)
WATER: Both the Pacific side and the Sea of Cortez side of the Cape were smooth this week
with there being a fairly long spaced 6 foot swell on the Pacific side, but very little wind. Surface
temperatures on the Pacific have remained in the 73-74 degree range and on the Cortez side it has
been warmer with a gentle temperature break running between the 95, 1150 and Gordo Banks
areas. The eastern, warm flow seems to be working it’s way slowly to the northeast and is in the
74-76 degree range. (Los Brazos del Mar)
BAIT: Mostly Mackerel this week but there should be a few Caballito around, I just didn’t se
any. The normal price of $2 each. Sardinas were reported as available from a few Pangas in the
Chileno area at $25 a scoop, but I didn’t get a first hand look at them. (Bluegill Boogie)
FISHING:
BILLFISH: Good news! The bite turned back on as the moon waned and most boats were
getting multiple shots a day at Striped Marlin ranging in size from 80-150 pounds. There were
also a few Blues caught this week as well, and here I was going and thinking that the boys in blue
suits were gone for the year, ha! There were several hot spots but there were fish scattered all
over. On the San Jaime banks the Marlin were deep for the most part and boats soaking live bait
at 100-150 feet deep were getting bit on a regular basis. On occasion the fish would push the bait
to the surface and you had a quick shot at “combat” style fishing. There were a few Blues caught
in the area of the Jaime. The area from 5 to 8 miles off the Arch to the lighthouse on the Pacific
side produced a lot of fish and these were mostly tailing fish that bait could be cast to. On the 95
spot there seemed to be a group of fish that were feeding just down a little bit as the ones in this
area seemed to show a preference for trolled lures, and often arrived in the patterns with no
warning. As the week wore on the bite got better and I would guess that most boats had at least
three or four shots a day and many boats were releasing that many. Unfortunately, a lot of fish
were killed as well. (Breathin’ Room)
YELLOWFIN TUNA: After the blowout we had on the full moon everyone had thought that the
Yellowfin had left the area! Thank goodness that was not true, but they are still a bit scarce. One
bright spot was the area about 15 miles out on the Cortez side, past the 95 spot. On Friday and
Saturday there were a lot of porpoise in the area and a lot of decent Yellowfin mixed in as well.
Most of the fish were in the 25-45 pound range, but one boat did get a toad that weighed 270
pounds! Smaller football fish were scattered on the Cortez coast just offshore but there were no
indicators to them, just blind strikes. Best bets on the Tuna offshore were cedar plugs followed
by feathers. The fish were moving very erratically and it was difficult to predict their path and
drop down live bait, but it did work now and then. (The Only Time I Saw Him Smile)
DORADO: Not the bright spot of the week but there are still fish out there. Some nice fish in the
30-50 pound class were found mixed in with the Porpoise and Yellowfin but for the most part the
offshore fish were scattered and in the 20-30 pound range. There were some smaller fish inshore
but you had to work hard for them. Drifting and setting up a chunk line worked for the boats that
tried it, but the fish were still not thick. A few boats were able to find small concentrations of fish
and limit out but they were exceptions. (Papa Was A Fishin’ Man)
WAHOO: I heard that there were a few fish found on the San Jaime but they were cutting live
baits up, or off, and very few of them were caught. There was a fish reported at 120 pounds
found offshore and caught while trolling in the blind. Other than the few at the Jaime, there were
very few fish produced this week. (Why’s Everybody Getting Bit Except Me?)
INSHORE: Still some good Sierra fishing early in the morning and there have been schools of
Bonita and Skipjack popping up now and then as well. A few smaller sized Roosterfish were
reported from further north on the Sea of Cortez side but not in any numbers. Bottom fishing is
just fair, with a scattering of Snapper and Grouper but few Amberjack or Yellowtail reported.
Many of the Pangas have been going offshore for the Marlin, as they have been fairly close this
week. (King Of The Surf)
NOTES: The Gray Whales are coming through and almost every trip has had sightings of a few.
The influx of Striped Marlin this week was one of the most wonderful things I have seen in a
while and everyone has their fingers crossed that it will continue. If you come to Cabo for the
fishing, please release any Marlin you catch, it is heartbreaking to see Marlin after Marlin come in
on the transom of some of these so-called “sportfishing” boats, and the same boats time after
time. Leave some for the future! This weeks report was written to the music of “The Dorados”
on their 2000 Mahi-Mahi Records release, “Papa Was A Fishin’ Man”. |
