East Cape Fishing Report
11/30/08
Dorado
are leading the way as far as the fishing
action here on the East Cape. The fish are
numerous, and good numbers of big fish are
being caught up to 40+ pounds, as well as
many smaller fish. Schools of smaller dorado
are being found near-shore, with the bigger
dorado coming from offshore fishing grounds
by boats fishing for marlin.
Speaking
of marlin, there are still quite a few
striped marlin around and the occasional
blue marlin, but the billfish action
definitely is tapering off as our peak
season winds down.
Inshore, juvenile roosterfish are being
caught on sardines and sierra mackerel are
showing up in catches as well. Pargo and
cabrilla also are available.
East Cape Fishing Report
10/30/08
The overall fishing hasn't changed much for
the past two weeks. We're still seeing some
good action for yellowfin tuna, dorado,
striped marlin, sailfish, wahoo,
roosterfish, and pargo, as well as some blue
marlin and even one black marlin.
The
best news is probably the average size of
the yellowfin tuna. Although the fishing
spots are hit-and-miss from day-to-day, when
some tuna are located, anglers are hooking
some really nice fish from 40-80 pounds, and
even several 150# class ahi. A good day
fishing anywhere! A pesky north wind has
made the long run to find tuna a bit
uncomfortable, but for those willing to hunt
for tuna, the rewards are there.
Dorado action has slipped in the past two
weeks. Although numerous dorado
are
still being caught, the action isn't as fast
and furious as it was in early October.
Schoolies are being located near-shore
around Punta Colorada and Punta Arena, out
from Cabo Pulmo, and to the north near Punta
Pescadero. A few brutes in the 30-45 pound
class are being caught offshore by anglers
trolling for marlin and searching for tuna.
One black marlin and a number of nice blue
marlin were caught recently. Sailfish action
remains steady with good numbers of 100#
class fish being caught; occasionally, boats
are finding a pod of sails and hooking up
two or three fish at a time. Quite a few
striped marlin have been caught and released
in the Sea of Cortez in the past two weeks
as well.
Inshore, hoards of juvenile roosterfish are
available, being caught primarily on
sardines. A couple of big roosters also have
been caught and released. Some dandy pargo
are being caught, along with a few cabrilla
and sierra mackerel, to round out the
inshore action.
East Cape Fishing Report
10/15/08
Overall fishing in the East Cape waters has
been consistent but not spectacular, as we
are accustomed to in October! We had a
slight hiccup last week as Hurricane Norbert
threatened the Baja Peninsula, but the storm
was significantly weakened by cool Pacific
waters, and by the time it made landfall,
several hundred miles north of the East
Cape, it was a non-issue. We did pull the
fleet from the water for one day as a
precaution, but everyone was back fishing
the next day as all we had were some
blustery winds and a sprinkle of rain.
Hurricane season concludes with no storms
adversely affecting the East Cape!
Sailfish
lead the way as far as the billfish bite.
Boats heading north out from Punta Pescadero,
and also fishing close to shore near La
Ribera, are encountering sails. The fish are
coming up in the spread or being spotted on
the surface, where they are susceptible to
pitched live mackerel, caballitos, or dead
ballyhoo. We have seen some blue marlin in
the area in the past week, and two fish that
expired during the fight were weighed--220#
and 385#. Several others were released.
Dorado numbers are pretty strong. Boats are
occasionally running into schools of fish
and enjoying multiple hookups. The schoolies
are averaging about 15#, but some larger
dorado up to 40# are also being caught,
primarily by boats fishing for marlin.
Dorado are prevalent in all directions out
from the hotels, with more schools being
encountered off Punta Pescadero to the north
and Punta Arena to the south.
Most
boats are beginning their fishing days by
hooking one or two Humboldt squid that are
coming up from the depths just a mile
offshore from Palmas de Cortez. These
"Diablo Rojos" are putting up a tremendous
battle of amount ten minutes per angler
before coming to the gaff. These
four-footers make excellent cum and chunk
baits for tuna. Unfortunately, the tuna are
ranging far and wide and there seems to be
no consistent pattern to hookups. The best
school was 57 miles out at last report. It
contains numerous tuna averaging 40 pounds,
and quite a few fish over 100 pounds have
been caught. A monstrous 360 pound yellowfin
was brought to the scales last week after a
four-hour battle. Other loose schools of
tuna are near Cabo Pulmo, Los Frailes, and
La Ribera, but again--inconsistent. We
continue to hope that the yellowfin bite
takes off again as we get later into fall!
Inshore, excellent fishing is available for
juvenile roosterfish, sierra mackerel, and
pargo, as well as a few cabrilla and
triggerfish. Smaller dogtooth are close to
shore in shallow water, and some awesome
40-pounders are being found on the seamounts
offshore from Punta Colorada. Sardines are
the primary bait of choice for inshore
species right now, although early morning
trollers (with Marauders) are having the
best success for nice-sized wahoo.
Sea surface temps range from 88-92 and our
daytime highs are 95, cooling to the high
70's at night.
East Cape Fishing Report
9/30/08
Fishing has been consistent but not
spectacular recently on the East Cape. We've
got a variety of species biting both inshore
and offshore, and plenty of fish overall to
catch, but the action isn't fast and furious
like we sometimes expect in September.
Sailfish
lead the way as far as billfish are
concerned, with good average size and good
numbers of fish available. Most of the sails
are in the 90-120# range and are being taken
on trolled marlin lures as well as pitched
dead ballyhoo. Trolled skirted ballyhoo also
are bringing the fish up and into the
spread. In addition to the sailfish, a
number of blue marlin 200-350# have been
caught and released, and after a dropoff in
the striped marlin bit a week or so ago, the
fish are back in our waters and also
susceptible to both trolled lures and
pitched dead baits.
Dorado action is fantastic, with many boats
limiting out on the mahi each day. Earlier
in September the average size fish were
10-15# (with many chickens being released),
but in the past week the fish are running
20-25#. Dorado are one of the
fastest-growing fish in the sea (fully-grown
adults only live to be 2 years old), so it's
not surprising to see our average catch
increase so rapidly. Many of the fish are
being caught near Cabo Pulmo drifting
sardines, or trolling hootchies to the south
of Los Frailes, and it's not uncommon to
have schools of dorado surrounding the boat
and producing multiple hookups.
Tuna
fishing was better early in September, and
while overall catch rates have dropped, the
average size has increased to 40-50#.
Several yellowfin over 1000# are being
caught in the mix. Chumming and
deep-drifting with squid and sardines, and
trolled hootchies and cedar plugs, are
taking most fish. Many boats are stopping to
hook Humboldt squid in the mornings just a
mile offshore from Palmas de Cortez, making
for some great calamari steaks as well as
awesome bait!
Inshore, some wahoo are being caught on
trolled Marauders, and roosterfishing is
steady near Punta Colorada and La Rivera
drifting live sardines on light tackle. Most
of the roosters are running 2-5 pounds.
East Cape Fishing Report
8/31/08
Steady but not spectacular best describes
the fishing on the East Cape in August. Our
hottest month of the year typically gives
some hot fishing, and we have a variety of
species being caught right now. Yellowfin
tuna are once again leading the way, with
numerous distinct schools being found points
north, east, and south. Most of the tuna are
10-20 pound class, but some larger fish of
60-80 pounds also are being hooked. In
recent days, the best fishing has been
located off Cabo Pulmo and La Rivera, and
most fish are being taken on sardines
(especially drifting with weighted baits),
as well as trolled hootchies and cedar
plugs.
Dorado
fishing is average for this time of year.
We’re seeing a lot of big dorado 30-45
pounds and even a couple exceeding 50
pounds, but the fish are scattered. Punta
Pescadero to the north has been one of the
best fishing areas for dorado. Trolled lures
as well as dead ballyhoo are taking most of
the mahi mahi.
Billfishing remains consistent. Quite a few
big blue marlin are still in our waters, but
we have not seen any giants of 600-900
pounds like
we did in June and July. Most of the blues
are 200-400 pounds. Leading the way for
billfishing are sailfish, with good numbers
of big fish being caught and released. We
see good average size for Pacific sailfish
in our waters; most of them are over 100
pounds. Quite a few striped marlin are mixed
in with our billfish catch rates also.
Trolled lures, skirted ballyhoo, and pitched
dead baits are the most effective methods
for billfish right now.
Inshore fishing is typical for August, with
jack crevalle, roosterfish, and pargo
leading the way. Quite a few nice snapper
and grouper are coming from the reefs in
90-140 feet of water. Deep jigging with iron
or weighted live bait is the trick there.
We’ll see you on the East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report
7/31/08
Fishing is excellent on the East Cape right
now. Leading the way are yellowfin tuna,
being found offshore in numerous distinct
schools. While many of the fish are 10-20
pound class, some larger fish
also are being hooked. The best fishing has
been located to the north in the vicinity of
“88” reef (600 feet of water surrounded by
6000 feet of water) and off Punta Pescadero,
and to the south straight out from Punta
Arena and Los Frailes, often within just 2
miles of the shoreline. A variety of trolled
lures (hootchies and cedar plugs as well as
some Rapalas) and live sardines are
producing most of the catches.
Dorado fishing is steady but not
spectacular. The fish that are being caught
are of excellent size—with many fish in the
30-40 pound class and some fish approaching
50 pounds. These are awesome big mahi mahi!
Trolled big game lures and dead
ballyhoo—plus some live baiting with
sardines—are the presentations of choice for
the dorado right now.
Billfishing
remains excellent. After a tremendous month
in which blue marlin of 520, 540, 600, 800,
and 900 pounds have been caught—as well as
many other smaller blues—we are looking
forward to continued success on the truly
massive predator fish that have invaded our
waters right now. In addition to good catch
rates on blues, the striped marlin fishing
and sailfish action is filling in the
blanks. A lot of nice stripers 100-175
pounds are being caught and released, and
numerous sailfish up to 175 pounds also are
in East Cape waters. Trolled lures and
ballyhoo are producing the strikes. Besides
plenty of billfish, a number of nice wahoo
have been caught recently as well.
Inshore, roosterfishing has shown a dramatic
dropoff in the past ten days and nobody
seems to understand why. A few weeks ago,
plenty of big roosters up to 50 pounds were
being caught and released; perhaps the
current lull is just a temporary condition.
Also, most anglers are choosing to target
the tuna, dorado, and billfish offshore
rather than work the nearshore areas for
roosters and other shallow water species.
Some sierra mackerel, dogtooth snapper, and
triggerfish are rounding out the inshore
action.
East Cape Fishing Report
7/14/08
It's IMPOSSIBLE not to catch fish right now
in the Baja, with angling for a variety of
species going absolutely wide-open! Leading
the way are definitely the yellowfin tuna,
with the entire fleet loading up on ahi
wherever porpoises are found (yellowfin tuna
and porpoises run together in schools).
Although most of the tuna are running small
in the 10-15 pound range, the schools of
fish are massive and multiple hookups for
all boats in the fleet is the norm, not the
exception. The best fishing is 22-40 miles
offshore in all directions, although some
schools are being contacted closer to shore.
Occasional larger tuna are mixed in with
catches of the "footballs".
Striped
marlin and blue marlin fishing continues to
be consistent as well, caught on both
trolling lures as well as bait. In the past
two weeks, anglers have hooked three blue
marlin weighing 600 pounds, 800 pounds, and
900 pounds! Additionally, numerous blue
marlin of 250-500# have been spotted in East
Cape waters, with some of these fish taking
both lures and live bait.
It is certainly atypical to have this many
giant marlin swimming in the Sea of Cortez
in June, and may be an indicator that a
season for the history books is in the
offing. These “fish-of-a-lifetime” are
definitely more numerous right now on the
East Cape than in a typical summer. Anglers
usually bookmark October as the prime month
for a shot at a truly giant marlin, although
blues and blacks exceeding 500# are always a
cause for celebration among Sea of Cortez
anglers because they are such an uncommon
catch. With the quality of fishing currently
on the East Cape, it bodes well for fishing
success for the balance of July right
through November.
Dorado
fishing remains steady as well, with a
number of fish in the 40-pound class being
landed. Plenty of smaller mahi mahi are
being caught in the 15-25 pound range as
well. A few wahoo are in East Cape waters,
with good action being reported offshore
from Isla Cerralvo, and roosterfishing
remains excellent inshore to the South near
Punta Colorada, Las Barracas, Los Frailes,
and to the North near Punta Perico. Some
50-pound class roosters are being caught and
released. Additional species being caught
inshore include good numbers of pargo
(dogtooth snapper), as well as some
triggerfish and sierra mackerel.
East Cape Fishing Report
6/27/08
Woohoo! The yellowfin tuna
schools started showing up in big numbers
this past week! The fish were very late in
making their annual “big” appearance this
year. The best news is, not only are
significant numbers of fish in the region,
but the average size is excellent as well.
Numerous yellowfin 30-60 pounds are being
landed, and some fish exceeding 100 pounds
are showing up in catches as well. Schools
are being found 22-28 miles straight east as
well as to the south. Smaller fish seem to
be closer to shore. Bonita and skipjack tuna
are also in the area, luring some big
predator fish to our area. Cedar plugs,
hootchies, and live bait are all taking
tuna.
Blue
marlin fishing has really picked up this
month. Two blues over 500 pounds were
landed, and a number of other fish 250-400
pounds also were caught and released. It is
a bit early for blues of this average size
to be in East Cape waters, but anglers sure
are enjoying the tussle of some truly
monster fish! If history is any
indication--and with the huge amounts of
bait in our waters--this should be another
awesome year for blue marlin. Last July,
August, and September, our fleet averaged
100 fish in the spread per week, about
double the normal late summer average. We
are setting up this year for another strong
blue marlin bite.
Striped marlin continue to be common
catches. Lots of stripers are in the region.
The overall catch rate declined somewhat as
anglers began targeting the yellowfin
schools instead of trolling or sight-fishing
for striped marlin. The East Cape remains
one of the world’s premier striped marlin
fisheries.
Dorado
fishing is excellent. Many fish 25-50 pounds
are being caught, either via pitched baits
to fish seen cruising the surface, or hooked
on marlin lures as incidental catchers while
trolling. There are plenty of mahi mahi
steaks going into coolers for the trip home,
being served fresh for dinner, or devoured
as fish tacos at the hotel bars along with
cold cervezas.
Inshore, fishing is fantastic for
roosterfish, with a number of fish over 50
pounds being reported in catch-and-release
numbers, and plenty of smaller fish being
hooked as well. Large pargo, cabrilla,
triggerfish, and other delicious table fare
species also are being caught, primarily on
live bait.
Fishing is wide open and absolutely awesome
on Baja’s East Cape right now!
East Cape Fishing Report
5/27/08
Striped
marlin and sailfish continue to lead the way
as far as fishing action is concerned here
on the East Cape. Tremendous numbers of
billfish are in our waters, being caught
primarily on rigged dead ballyhoo and
trolled marlin lures. Many fish are being
spotted tailing on the surface or
free-jumping in the distance, but an
abundance of squid in the water are keeping
the fish off our traditional hot Spring
bite. Nonetheless, many boats are managing
2-6 hookups per day as well as presenting
bait to numerous other fish that are
unwilling biters.
Dorado
are consistent, but not available in
overwhelming numbers. Again, squid are
contributing to a slower-than-average bite
as some fish are being seen on the surface
but won’t take either ballyhoo or sardines.
A few dorado hookups mixed in with some
billfish action is a good day! Occasional
wahoo and mako sharks are also showing up in
lure spreads.
Inshore, roosterfish action is spotty, with
fish being contacted to the north near Punta
Perico and to the south near Punta Colorada
and Las Barracas. Some pargo and cabrilla
also are in this area, as well as further
south near Los Frailes, to round out the
inshore action. Water temps are 76-82
degrees with primarily calm seas, and our
daily highs are in the 90s, so the weather
and water are beautiful! We’ll see you on
the East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report
5/5/08
Spectacular action for striped marlin,
Pacific sailfish, dorado, and wahoo
dominated the fishing for the past two weeks
in the Sea of Cortez. Prior to the full
moon, stripers led the way with a virtual
feeding frenzy in our waters. Most boats
were catching and releasing two to six
marlin per day, with some boats topping ten
fish, with many more strikes and teases
mixed in. The fish literally are everywhere
right now, but have been showing strong
concentrations to the south off La Rivera
and Punta Arena and to the north in the
vicinity of Ocho-Ocho (“8-8”). The sea
canyons of Ocho-Ocho rise and fall
dramatically from depths of five hundred to
deeper than six thousand feet of water, and
current upwellings in this area congregate
huge amounts of bait, and the gamefish
follow. It’s a great area for blue marlin
from June through November, but right now
the stripers and sails have invaded the
region. During a day’s fishing, it’s
possible to see 100 (no exaggeration!)
marlin and sails “free jumping” as you scan
the horizon and the mirror calm waters of
the Sea of Cortez.
As
is typical for spring, most of the striped
marlin are 120-200 pounds, with the fish
over 140 pounds being predominantly female.
The stripers invade our waters each spring
for the spawning ritual, and it’s common to
see 2-6 fish running together in packs.
Sailfish are showing up in good numbers
also, with most fish 80-130 pounds. Water
temps already are in the 74-80 degree range
so it’s not unusual to see a “summer”
species like the sails showing up in April.
Billfish
action tailed somewhat spanning the full
moon of April 20th. The marlin began feeding
at night on large pods of squid and thus
showed less interest in lures, live baited
mackerel, and dead baited ballyhoo during
daytime fishing hours. Nonetheless, most
boats were still managing 2-4 hookups per
day. Many more fish are rising up behind
trolled lures in the spread or are seen
tailing on the surface, but are not overly
aggressive biters when bloated with squid.
When thrashing at boatside, some billfish
are disgorging as many as two dozen squid
from their gullets.
Dorado
action was fast and furious in late April,
tapering somewhat at month’s end. Many fish
20-40 pounds were being caught, with some
bigger fish of 44-48 pounds being caught
also. Wahoo action was steady for boats
willing to put in time in select fishing
waters for these species (far north side of
Cerralvo Island and south near Destiladeras
being two good spots). Some bigger wahoo in
the 50-60 pound range are being caught,
mainly on trolled Marauders. We’re still
waiting for the appearance of the big
yellowfin tuna schools, which should be here
by now based on the water temperatures! A
few nice tuna are being hooked up on cedar
plugs among the dolphin, but the fish are
few and far between. Captains are seeing the
odd “grande” tuna splashing, and the few ahi
being caught are nice fish of 40
pounds-plus, but the numbers of yellowfin
are nowhere to be found as yet.
Inshore, roosterfish are being seen in good
numbers north near El Cardonal, and south
near Punta Colorada and Las Barracas. A few
15-20 pounders are mixed in with the
bambinos, and a few larger roosterfish are
around. A few nice sierra mackeral, caught
on sardines and trolled Rapalas, also are
adding to the inshore fun. With air temps in
the mid-90s during the day and overnight
temps in the mid-70’s, it’s an ideal time to
find yourself sunning and fishing in the
Baja.
East Cape Fishing Report
4/17/08
The
fishing is hot right now on the East Cape!
After an uncharacteristically slow March,
fishing has just gone crazy in a matter of
two weeks. Leading the way are tremendous
numbers of dorado, with boats catching a
dozen or more per day. A dead sea lion
floating in our waters last week had
literally hundreds of dorado attracted
nearby, plus plenty of other mahi mahi were
hooked up throughout our fishing grounds via
live bait (mackerel and sardines) or on
trolled marlin lures. The dorado started out
a few weeks back as "chickens" of 10-20
pounds, but suddenly numbers of fish up to 30
pounds are being caught. The aroma of fresh
dorado is permeating our dining rooms, and
bowls of fresh dorado ceviche and crackers
are making the rounds at the bars in the
afternoons. What a delight!
Striped marlin fishing has ramped up bigtime
in the past two weeks as well. Many boats
are catching and releasing 4-8 marlin per
day, with numerous other fish being sighted
but not hooking up. The Sea of Cortez is
alive. Schools of mackerel and sardines are
prevalent and our warming seas--surface
temps range from 72-78 degrees has the
gamefish feeding hot and heavy.
Inshore,
good numbers of cabrilla, pompano, and pargo
are being caught, along with a few jack
crevalle. It's a great time to be on the
East Cape, since the fishing is already
going wide open!
East Cape Fishing Report
3/29/08
There's a blessing in every day, and a
silver lining in every cloud. For the entire
Easter Week, the East Cape was subjected to
strong northerly winds and cooler than
normal temperatures. The waters of the
northern Sea of Cortez are in the 60's, and
these waters were pushing into our southern
fishing grounds as a result of the winds.
The fleet ranged far and wide looking for
dorado and marlin, to no avail (the warm
water was simply too far south of our
region), until March 22nd when dorado and
striped marlin were finally contacted.
Calm
seas now prevail and the rush of warm
southern currents are again invading the
East Cape, and the result has been steady
fishing for both striped marlin and dorado.
The mahi are averaging 15-20 pounds and most
boats are catching dorado on a daily basis.
Striped marlin are averaging 2-4 hookups per
boat per day, with a lot of big females in
the 150-180 range. Please release ALL
billfish! The main productive fishing
grounds are straight east and slightly south
of the resorts, 15-25 miles offshore.
The
best news (silver lining) about this year's
slow Spring warm-up has been the yellowtail
fishery. We are enjoying some amazing
yellowtail action right now, just 4 miles
offshore from Palmas de Cortez. Boats are
dropping lines in less than ten minutes from
the dock, initially to catch a baitwell full
of mackerel, next to drop the live baits on
weighted rigs 40-100 feet down for some
bruising yellowtail action! Numerous fish
are being caught 15-30 pounds, along with
some porkers of 35-45 pounds and
occasionally even bigger. Fishing is fast
and furious in spurts, especially first drop
through mid-morning, and again in the
afternoon. White bonita also are showing up,
being caught on sardines.
Pargo
action inshore has also picked up, with some
nice 5-15 pound fish being caught on live
sardines slow-fished in shallow water. Some
larger dogtooth have been spotted by anglers
and crews in 20-30 feet of water--reportedly
up to 40-50 pounds--but not hooked up.
Cabrilla action also has been steady inshore
on both sardines and trolled Rapalas, albeit
small fish. Sierra mackerel action remains
hot, both to the North off Punta Perico, and
to the South near Las Barracas and Los
Frailes.
The only primary Spring species absent are
yellowfin tuna, but with the striped marlin
and dorado starting to appear in big
numbers--and water temps accelerating into
the low 70's--it's only a matter of time
before the schools show up. The Spring
striped marlin frenzy is underway! We'll see
you on the East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report
3/15/08
Alternating hellacious north winds and
tranquil seas have made for a challenging
fishing environment so far in March. We have
to think that reports of global warming are
exaggerated, since our seas have been
unseasonably cool at 67-71
degrees--mid-February water
temperatures--and the fishing is more
consistent with what we see in mid-February
rather than mid-March also. Every time the
wind blows (belated El Norte
conditions--north winds) we get cool seas
and temps and alll the good warm water from
down south is prevented from reaching our
fishing grounds. The moment the north winds
cease, warm currents spill northward into te
Sea of Cortez and our surface temperatures
increase dramatically.
The
best news? This is exactly what has happened
in the past two days: calm seas have caused
a dramatic temperature rise and some 75
degree water loaded with striped marlin is
in reach of our fleet.
Marlin fishing up to this point has been
spotty. Last week, we were receiving reports
of striped marlin schooling in huge numbers
at least five hours south of our grounds.
These fish are stacked up like a herd of
cattle ready to invade East Cape waters to
begin the annual Spring spawning ritual and
to gorge on abundant schools of baitfish. In
our area, mackerel, ballyhoo, and sardines
are available in dramatic, huge schools,
which bodes well for the marlin (and for
marlin fishermen) when the fish reach the
waters close to our shores.
The
best news of the past week has been the
excellent inshore fishing. Yellowtail are
abundant and huge, especially near Punta
Perico and off Cerralvo Island to the north.
Many fish 25-35 pounds are being caught.
Some anglers are reporting vicous strikes on
both surface and bottom gear, with
yellowtail (and likely some dogtooth)
pulling the lines into the jagged rocks
before breaking off. Angler Bob Bailey from
Longview, WA landed an awesome 40#
yellowtail on light tackle. Cindy Nelson,
from Fargo, North Dakota battled an
estimated 50# yellowtail on 20-pound gear
for over an hour before the fish succummed.
Kudos to these anglers for beating some
monster yellowtail on light gear!
In
the past week, along the shorelines of Punta
Colorada and in front of Hotels Palmas de
Cortez and Playa del Sol, some roosterfish
cockles have been spotted at dawn, as these
fish bust mullet schools at first light. The
roosters are early, but it appears some fish
are available to catch already in March,
several months before peak roosterfishing
season arrives!
Sierra mackerel and white bonita--both
delicious table fare--are abundant and
aggressive; again, in waters to the north.
Punta Pescadero has been a hot area for
fishing. Some boats are hooking a dozen or
more sierra in just a morning's fishing.
White bonita are active and common also.
Shorelines near La Rivera and Punta Colorada,
and to the south along Las Barracas, also
are producing numbers of sierra.
Rounding out the fishing report are numbers
of chicken dorado (10-15#) being caught on
sardines and trolled hootchies to the north,
to the south, and 25-30 miles east.
East Cape Fishing Report
3/1/08
As
we come out of our winter season, look for
more frequent fishing reports to be
broadcast for the rest of 2008 on
eastcaperesorts.com! We are delighted to
report the “darn” El Norte winds have abated
for the most part and we’ve got 71-72 degree
water spilling up from the south and around
the Horn into the Sea of Cortez. Striped
marlin are starting to show up. We had such
a ferocious north wind for about 10 days
straight in February that few anglers wanted
to make the run offshore to look for marlin.
Luckily, a hot yellowtail bite has been
going inshore up near Punta Perico and Isla Cerralvo,
with some nice specimens being caught on
lures and sardines. There are huge numbers
of sierra mackerel inshore also, both to the
north and also to the south near Cuevas
Arroyo, La Rivera, and Punta Colorada. Some
small yellowfin tuna and dorado are around,
plus some stripers.
Mother Nature dealt us a cold blow this
winter. As many folks know, it’s been a
brutally cold winter in North America. While
we still enjoy winter days with highs in the
70’s, the unfortunate side effect of cold
weather dropping all the way into south
Texas and the SW U.S. was that some of this
chilly air got picked up on the El Norte
winds and blew a cold gust all the way down
the Baja. Sea of Cortez sea surface
temperatures (updated every 48 hours on
eastcaperesorts.com—homepage and Fishing
Page) dropped lower than normal (67-68
degrees) by mid-February. Brrrrrr!
Fortunately, we’ve had many days of 81
degrees in a row so things are warming up
quickly!
East Cape Fishing Report
2/1/08
We’ve
had some periods of tranquil seas and
beautiful temperatures in April. 81 degrees
and sunny is hard to beat! Fishing has been
typical for the month of January, with a few
striped marlin in the area as well as
schoolie dorado and yellowfin tuna. Our
waters have cooled along with the annual “El
Norte” trade winds, and the unusually cold
temperatures that blanketed large portions
of the United States have also contributed
to our dropping sea surface temps, as some
of this colder air has mixed with El Norte
blowing southward. Nonetheless, we have
70-72 degree water to the south of the
hotels within reach of the boat fleet, and
anytime we can find 70 degrees, we’ve got
good fishing! A combination of trolled lures
and bait are producing most of the fish.
There are some nice wahoo being caught to
the south, nearshore, with Rapalas and
Marauders. Inshore, sierra mackerel are
swarming near La Rivera, Punta Colorada, and
Las Barracas. Some snapper species also are
being caught. As the warm water returns, the
fishing will ramp up in tandem.
East Cape Fishing Report
1/1/08
Even
though our “quietest” timeframe for fishing
is December 15 through January 15, anglers
who are getting out fishing are encountering
plenty of dorado and yellowfin tuna on the
Sea of Cortez. A few striped marlin are
around the area also. December has been a
great fishing month overall with many boats
getting limits of tuna most days on the
water! Our sea surface temperatures are
cooling now (temps in the 70-72 degree range
now) and that tends to slow down the fishing
accordingly. The fleet is running south for
the warmest water in reach of the East Cape.
Trolled lures are raising marlin and
providing most of the hookups, while some
fish are being taken on bait. The fish are
in the 120-140# range. Dorado are numerous,
but most of the fish are running small,
which is typical for this time of year. The
yellowfin tuna are ranging from 10-25
pounds. Sierra mackerel are numerous
inshore, primarily near Las Cuevas Arroyo.
Pargo and cabrilla snappers round out the
inshore opportunities. Look for expanded
fishing reports starting in February,
coinciding with the start of our new season,
the invasion of striped marlin by the
thousands for the annual spring spawn, and
the return of huge numbers of dorado, tuna,
and the many other gamefish species that
make the East Cape of the Baja Peninsula one
of the world’s greatest sportfisheries!
East Cape Fishing Report
12/1/07
The
biggest news in the past few weeks is the
resurgence of the yellowfin tuna bite here
in the waters off the East Cape. While we’ve
had tuna in the area all along, the
numbers—and average size—of the fish really
exploded. Fish are averaging 25-35 pounds
(compared to 10-20 a few weeks back) and a
few larger 40-60 pounders are hooking up as
well. Multiple schools are available. A
chummed mix of chunk squid and live sardines
is getting the feeding frenzy going and
boats are fishing the schools both on the
surface and down 20-40 feet. Everybody who’s
tuna fishing is pretty much limiting out!
Lots of plates of sashimi and sushi are
being passed around the bar each afternoon,
tuna steaks are on the dinner menu, and
coolers are going home full!
Dorado
numbers are excellent as well, with anglers
hooking up on 15-30 pound fish while
trolling for striped marlin and also
encountering rogue fish on the surface.
Sardines are aiding the hookups there.
Plenty of mahi-mahi are in the mix!
Striped marlin numbers have dropped quite a
bit from the incredible 2007 billfish bite
that went from March—November this year.
Some stripers are still around, as well as a
few sailfish, but not too many boats are
getting multiple hookups per day, as was the
norm more or less for months on end.
Granted, with the tuna bite so strong, the
number of hours spent trolling for billfish
is way down in tandem. A large blue marlin
and an even larger black marlin were caught
last week as well.
Inshore,
juvenile roosterfish continue to feed
aggressively on sardines, and chumming/slow
trolling near Las Cuevas Arroyo is producing
roosters, as well as plenty of sierra
mackerel. Some pargo and cabrilla snapper
also are available, plus plenty of wahoo for
anglers trolling close to shore to the south
of Los Frailes.
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