FEBRUARY 1st to 8th, 2010
Overall Catch Success Rate 93%
BILLFISH: The billfish catches are still not what we would like them to be and we attribute this to warmer than normal weather for this time of year and the lack of a consistent bait supply. Added to this is the fact that the marlin are spread out, meaning there is no one location that is consistently producing them, giving us a feeling more like March type fishing. Towards the close of this report marlin were found very close, two to three miles off of Santa Maria on a couple of days. On February 2nd, "Tracy Ann" fishing twelve miles from San Jose released a striped marlin and got a 50 lb mako shark for Denny Vopat and Frank Polina from Reno, Nevada. Our only boat to get more than one marlin was "Rebecca" on February 8th, three miles before the 95 spot with live bait, for Ralph Kratz and Doc Kammerzell from Washington, State. "Rebecca" also got a marlin and two yellowfin tuna on February 6th on the outside of the 95 spot; the marlin on a live mackerel and the tuna on cedar plugs, for Javier Garcia and Luis Trevino from Monterey, Mexico. "Andale" released a marlin just two miles from the popular snorkeling beach of Santa Maria for Jack Sugameli from Lake Wyle S.C on February 8th, estimated at 130 lbs. Just twenty percent of our boats caught marlin this week, even though the slack was filled with smaller game, so most came back with something. Pisces anglers released a total of six striped marlin this week.
OTHER SPECIES: Dorado was the most likely catch this week with forty three percent of charters catching one or two in diverse locations on both bait and lures with weights between 15 and 30 lbs. Twenty six percent of boats caught yellow fin tuna, but when found the catches were better than those of dorado, with catches of between two and twenty five fish up to 25 lbs. Top tuna boat was "C Rod" who had the twenty five mentioned for James Elton, Brad Griffith, Nick and Brian Etto; the fish took cedar plugs, feather and small lures 30 miles from the 180 spot. "Andrea" did well to catch seventeen at the Jaime Bank for Ken Kendrick and friends from Colorado and Oklahoma. When fishing was slow boats headed in shore and had fun with light tackle catching sierra (Spanish mackerel) when in the right spot, boats were hooking up to 30 in a few hours, with many released….this toothy inshore fish, makes for excellent eating. Boats also caught some skipjacks and jack crevalle as well as a couple of mako sharks.
WEATHER CONDITIONS: We had one unusual day of unexpected quite intense rain, otherwise seas were calm to moderate and skies mostly sunny.
LOCATION: Take your pick…..Santa Maria, Palmilla, Los Arcos, San Jaime, Desteiladera, 45 miles from Lighthouse (looking for tuna), Ellias Calles.
AVERAGE WATER TEMP: 71 F
BEST LURES: Live mackerel, cedar plus, guacamayos, red/orange, green/yellow.
Based on the catches of Pisces by Tracy Ehrenberg
