May 27th to June 2nd, 2010
Overall Catch Success Rate 98%
BILLFISH: We had a huge improvement on fishing in Cabo this week, as the El Niño current winds down. But Cabo was not the only news, once again Loreto surprised us all, with two swordfish being caught again, by Robert Ross aboard “Bad Company”, on the same day, May 31st. Robert and his crew were fishing 6 miles east of Isla Catalina when they hooked the first fish, estimated at 160 lbs. They then went on to boat another which they estimated at 400 to 500 lbs. Our thanks to the deckhand Jorge Luis Hernandez for keeping us updated, texting us the info, as it happened and then sending photos for the skeptics. This is quite an achievement anywhere for an angler to catch three swordfish in one month. Marlin catches improved substantially and at the close of the week most boats were catching at least one per day each, with catches of two not uncommon, plus some smaller game fish as well. We had a couple of boats with three marlin days…first was “Rebecca” with three striped marlin and a dorado off of Medanos Blancos for Pat Volpe fishing on her birthday with son John & daughter Lisa from New York City on June 1st. On June 2nd, “La Brisa” fishing the same area, the next day out also released three marlin and boated a 38 lb wahoo for Neal O’Russa and Ryan Cushing from Illinois and Kevin Merta from North Carolina. Other notable catches were again for “Rebecca” on May 31st, with two striped marlin, two dorados and one yellowfin tuna for Megan Weakly from Denver and Chris Potts from Memphis. “Andrea” and “Fearless” also had double billfish days. Live bait was the most effective method for catching marlin. Forty four percent of charters caught marlin, with catches of one to three fish per boat. Twenty five striped marlin were caught overall with all but two released; those brought in weighed 100 and 170 lbs respectively
OTHER SPECIES: At the start of this report yellowfin tuna was the top catch, but this species started to decline as the week progressed. Fifty six percent of boats caught between one and ten tuna from 15 to 30 lbs. “Tracy Ann” was one of the top tuna boats, catching nine up to 20 lbs and releasing a striped marlin for Matt Lewis and friends from Los Angeles. “Bill Collector” also did well to catch eight, plus four roosterfish and a marlin which was released, fishing 12 miles from Cerro Blanco for Kelli & Linda Bullin, Anthony Woods and Christian Smith from Fort Worth, Texas. The total tuna count was eighty six. Dorado catches were average at twenty eight percent, with catches usually of a single fish and occasionally two. There were quite a lot of roosterfish caught inshore as well as a few jack crevalle. Wahoo catches slowed down, with just two 30 lb fish for us. “Ruthless” released two hammerhead sharks 13 miles out from Cerro Blanco and also boated a tuna for Daniel Pacheco and John Knox from San Antonio, Texas.
LOCATION: Three to eleven miles out from Chileno, Cabeza de Ballena, four to 12 miles from Cerro Blanco, Medanos Blancos, Destiladeres.
WEATHER CONDITIONS: Quite cool for June….seas on Cortez calm to moderate, windy with whitecaps on the Pacific.
AVERAGE WATER TEMP: 75 F
BEST LURES: live caballito, ballyhoo, petroleros, guacamaya.
Based on the catches of Pisces by Tracy Ehrenberg
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