FLY HOOKER SPORTFISHING
Captain George Landrum
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
Cabo Fish Report
April 6-12, 2009
WEATHER: Scattered clouds were overhead this week almost every day, but they managed to disappear at the end of the week. We had strong winds almost every day that started about noon and blew until sunrise. Daytime highs were in the mid 80's and the nighttime lows were around the low 70's.
WATER: Water on the Pacific side remained a cool 64-66 degrees everywhere to the west and north of Cabo, and conditions were very bumpy due to the wind. 12 miles to the south of a line due west of Cabo on the Pacific side the water was much warmer at an average of 72-73 degrees, but again, very bumpy. On the Cortez side of the Cape north of a line running southeast of Cabo the water was averaging 73 degrees. The further north you went on the Cortez side the better the surface conditions became, the Cape blocked the wind and the build up of swells. Between the two bodies of warm water was a plume of the cold water being pushed south from the Pacific and it was averaging 66 degrees. The cold-water plume was a bit on the green side.
BAIT: There was a mix of Mackerel and Caballito available this week at the normal price of $3 per bait. There were also Sardinas at $25 for a large scoop at Chileno or $25 for a small scoop here in Cabo.
FISHING:
BILLFISH: The concentration of Striped Marlin that we saw last week up in the Destilladera area was a short-lived showing that only lasted about three days as far as having a good bite. Later in the week the bite dropped off and a really good day there might have resulted in three fish released. As we moved toward the end of the week the fish were to be found almost everywhere up in the Sea of Cortez, but with a full moon on Friday they were feeding at night and it was almost impossible to get bit. That's not to say there were no fish caught, but the odds were pretty small. On the positive side, since the fish are showing on the surface, in another week the bite should really pick up! There were reports of a few different billfish this week as well. Unconfirmed by me but related by someone I know pretty well is the report of a Swordfish taken by a private boat early in the week while fishing at night. Also, on Thursday there was a Blue Marlin of about 300 pounds released in the area of the 1150 Spot. That fish ate a bait that was presented to a Black Marlin according to both the angler and the Captain of the boat.
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin Tuna have still failed to show up in any numbers but a school was found well to the south of the San Jaime during the middle of the week and a few boats were able to post good numbers on fish averaging 25 pounds, with an occasional fish pushing 40 pounds. There was also a good bite early in the week for one boat that found the fish well to the west of the San Jaime, so it appears that there may be fish out there, but just too far from us right now to make the run. Maybe they will move closer to us soon.
DORADO: Once again it was a case of scattered fish. Almost every boat was able to get a Dorado this week, and a few boats managed to get three or four. The warm water on the Cortez side produced the fish and the best area was three to five miles off the beach, the same area that held most of the Striped Marlin.
WAHOO: The full moon helped on the Wahoo bite but it was not wide open by any means. Most of the fish caught were from the Punta Gorda area but there were a few fish found in the deep water as well, as long as it was warmer than 72 degrees. There were scattered fish in the warm water to the southwest of Cabo but they were incidental catches.
INSHORE: Due to the strong winds this week the inshore fishing was a bit tough on the Pacific side but the area off of Los Arcos produced decent Yellowtail early in the week for boats using iron in 150 feet of water. Later in the week the anglers all moved to the south side of the lighthouse and up on the Cortez side of the Cape to get away from the wind. The Sierra bite continued to be very good and anyone who really tried was able to limit out on fish to 9 pounds. An on-off bite on Red Snapper kept every day a surprise and there were a few species such as Roosterfish, Amberjack, Ladyfish, Needlefish and Skipjack that kept the action fairly constant.
NOTES: It is Easter Sunday and I just finished getting the back yard set up for guests as we are having a few friends over for grilled ribs and Dorado while we listen to music and watch the Masters tournament. Mark, the hanging basket of cherry tomatoes is producing great quantities, the Beefsteaks I planted are almost ready to produce flowers, my green beans are growing at an incredible rate and the sage, rosemary, mint, spearmint and basil plants are growing incredibly fast. My thyme has sprouted and next week the lavender seeds go in! Thanks so much for getting me started! I will get a chance this week to check and see if I learned anything from watching the master's tournament. This weeks report was written to the music of Leo Kottke on his 1986 RCA release "A Shout Toward Noon". Until next week, tight lines!