Monday, May 03, 2010

LATEST FISH REPORT

PISCES FISH REPORT


APRIL 23rd to 30th, 2010

Overall Catch Success Rate for all species combined 79%

BILLFISH: This week was very slow for billfish with just six percent of our charters managing to hook up to marlin. One of the main reasons for this, it appears, was the weather; with most of last reports’ marlin catches at the Jaime Bank on the Pacific, it was practically impossible to get up there this week. The wind blew hard most days, creating nasty white caps and making it practically impossible to fish. Nevertheless we heard another report of marlin at the Finger Banks, which means they should be moving this way soon. William Quin Harris from Cypress, Texas was one of our lucky anglers, releasing a striped marlin on a live caballito and boating a yellowfin tuna aboard “La Brisa” on April 25th. This was one of the few boats that made it to San Jaime early in the week. The only other boat to catch a marlin was “Andrea” on April 29th, outside of Santa Maria for Jason Spencer, Joshua Renne and Robert Moore, from Bloomfield and Frankenmuth, Michigan, respectively. At the close of this report boats switched areas, as they were unable to get up the Pacific and began fishing between Santa Maria and Chileno, where some boats reported spotting up to five marlin in a day, but none hungry enough to take the bait offered. Pisces anglers released two marlin this week and we hope the fish show up on time for the World Offshore Championship, set to begin on May 10th.

OTHER SPECIES: Even though the marlin fishing was poor anglers were entertained with other fish. Dorado catches crept up to forty one percent for our boats, with the catches usually of one or two fish over a widespread area, taking both bait and lures and weighing between 18 and 35 lbs. Top dorado boat was “C Rod” with five on April 25th, twenty five miles out from the Old Lighthouse for Joseph Thessin from Washington, D.C. Our total dorado count was twenty-six fish. Tuna catches were not far behind with thirty-eight percent of charters catching from one to twelve fish with the area near San Jaime one of the better areas, if the anglers could take the weather, as well as locations on the Cortez side. Top boat for tuna was “C Rod” who seemed to have the knack with these smaller game this week. On April 27th this boat caught a dozen fish for the Burkey’s and Walton’s from Santa Barbara, Ca; the fish took cedar plugs and green colored lures. Our total tuna count was thirty one fish, with sizes no bigger than 30 lbs. Twelve percent of the boats caught wahoo this week. On April 24th, “Ruthless” caught two weighing 30 and 45 lbs, as well as two dorado and one tuna for Andreas Harti and friends from Vista, California they were close to shore on the Pacific side. “Fearless” and “Cabolero” also had wahoo to 45 lbs. Other catches this week were a 60 lb hammerhead shark, aboard “Andrea”, released half a mile off the Old Lighthouse by John Dunn from Auckland, New Zealand. “Valerie” also caught a shark, this time a mako, estimated at 60 lbs six miles in front of the Old Lighthouse, along with a dorado for Malcolm Catherall and friends from Red Deer, Canada. We are starting to see an increase on roosterfish at this time.

WEATHER CONDITIONS: Partly cloudy, very windy and rough on the Pacific, seas calmer past Cabeza de Ballena on the Cortez side.

AVERAGE WATER TEMP: 70 F

BEST LURES: Live caballito, cedar plugs, green colors.

Based on the catches of Pisces by Tracy Ehrenberg