FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
March 16-22, 2009
WEATHER: There was no rain this week although a few mornings felt as though some rain could happen. What made the week different was the onset of our springtime winds. It actually started the week before but now we are seeing the normal three or four days of wind then three or four days of calm. There is no predicting it but at least there is usually a calm day sometime during the week. Our daytime highs were in the low 90's and high 80's while the nighttime lows were in the high to mid 60's.
WATER: On the Pacific side the water close to the beach remained cool at 65-67 degrees. Out across the San Jaime Bank and the Golden Gate Bank the water was 69-70 degrees. The 75-degree water was pushed farther away to the south by the strong currents and now lays 20 miles out. On the Cortez side of the Cape the water is decently warm at an average of 75 degrees north of the 1150 spot. Surface conditions on the Pacific remained choppy due to the strong winds that blow for a few days but has still been fishable. The Cortez side has been much better with small swells and light wind effects. The water throughout the area has been a bit off-color this past week with greener water than last week.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito available this week at the normal price of $3 per bait.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: We may have seen the last of the red-hot Striped Marlin bite for this season as the fishy have moved off of the Golden Gate Bank along with the bait that was holding there. With the bite having have lasted since last November it is surprising that it lasted as long as it did. Now we are most likely going to be doing the normal fishing, casting live bait in front of tailing fish as they move through the area. A good day this past week would have been a five fish day; the average seemed to be one or two releases. With the water cooling down and turning a bit green, we might start to see a few Swordfish soon, but they have not appeared yet.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yet again another poor week for Yellowfin Tuna with only a few fish being caught. There were plenty of Bonito to be hooked up, and in those schools Yellowfin were reported as well, but they just would not bite. The presence of red crab in the area made having something in a red or dark orange color very important in lure selection, and those colors did much better than others on the few fish that were caught.
DORADO: There were some Dorado to be found in the warmer waters on the Cortez side of the Cape this past week. The waters just offshore of the Westin and at the Inman Bank held fish that were not large, but there were some decent numbers. With an average size of 12 pounds, smaller live bait such as large Sardinas worked well. Offshore just a few miles there were larger fish to 40 pounds, but they were few and far between.
WAHOO: I did not hear of any Wahoo being caught this week.
INSHORE: Sierra and Yellowtail continued to dominate the inshore action this week. While not large, the Sierra were in great numbers once the schools were found. There was great action just outside the beach on the Pacific side at Pueblo Bonita Sunset resort and on the Cortez side outside the Cabo Del Sol Golf Course. Most boats were able to get limits for their anglers using Sardinas as live bait, but blue/silver swimming plugs and hootchies did well also. There were not great numbers of Yellowtail found this week, but they were showing up in the fish boxes of the Pangas. Most of them were firecracker fish in the 8-10 pound class, but there were a few nice fish to 25 pounds and an occasional fish that could not be stopped. Added to the mix of fish caught were the occasional Pargo and Amberjack as well as some small Roosterfish.
NOTES: The Whales are starting to move north and we are seeing fewer every week. Fishing inshore was where the action was this week but there were some days when the Bonito averaged 15 pounds and provided a good fight on the right gear when fishing offshore. This weeks report was written to the music of pianist Marcus Roberts on his 1990 BMG release "Deep In The Shed". Until next week, tight lines!