Overall
Catch Success Rate for All Species 100%
BILLFISH:
For Cabo standards billfish catches were on
the low side this week with just sixteen percent of charters hooking up to
marlin and sailfish. It appears that the mass migration that we usually see
between November and December has not started yet; when striped marlin get
spotted at Mag Bay by boats on their way back to Cabo from California, we know
they are headed this way soon. A lot of
the bigger boats head north in summer to comply with insurance requirements hat
want them out of the hurricane zone.
With the dorado catches so outstanding a lot of anglers are content to
have plenty of action on a sure thing, rather than search for a billfish location.
Top billfish boat for us this week was Pisces 28 ft Uniflite “Adriana” who
managed to release two blue marlin, when others were having a hard time even
locating a striper. On October 30th, John Meyne, from Las Vegas was
aboard when Adriana hooked a 250 lb blue marlin, just one mile off of Santa
Maria, on a blue and white lure. The fish was released and they want on to boat
two dorado and a skipjack. The second blue marlin for this vessel was caught by
British angler Michael Taylor, from Bracknell, Berkshire in the same area, this
time on a green lure and estimated at 270 lbs.
The only boat to have a double marlin day was Pisces “Valerie” on
November 1st when they released two striped marlin between 100 &
120 lbs and caught a small wahoo and eight dorado for Tim McNeil and Karl Reid
from Whitecourt, Canada. This boat was
one of the only ones to release a sailfish, during the week also. It seems that
the billfish catches were closer to shore this week, seldom more than four
miles out. Pisces anglers caught a total of 11 billfish this week consisting of
7 striped marlin, 2 sailfish and 2 blue marlin – all released.
OTHER
SPECIES: We might as well call this the dorado
report, seeing as ninety percent of our boats caught an average of ten dorado
per trip. The majority are being caught on the Pacific between the Old
Lighthouse and Golden Gate and average 20 to 25 lbs. Our total dorado count
this week was a whopping 557 fish, many released – a testament to the fact that
Dorado is a species reserved for sportfishing and is not legally allowed as a
commercial catch. This fish is a lot of fun to catch and is tasty to eat, but
there is a huge push by the commercial fleet to get it removed from the list of
species reserved for sportfishing. If that were to happen then we would have
commercial boats, with their destructive fishing practices, right on our
doorstep and the non-selective techniques that they use would decimate billfish
populations as well as kill countless turtles. So please be aware of this and
do not order dorado at any restaurant in Cabo – it cannot be sold commercially,
so if it’s on the menu it’s illegal. We know it’s good to eat, but if there is
a commercial demand, people will continue to sell it illegally and give
strength to the commercial fisheries argument. You can catch your own dorado
and take it to get cooked at a restaurant, but it cannot be sold. Conservation
has to start with you…one person makes a difference. Besides the dorado, we had
a few wahoo with Pisces “Tracy Ann” getting two in one day plus seven dorado
for Mike McGuirk, from Newbury Park, Ca at La Ballena on October 30th.
Tuna catches were on the slow side, though we had some pangas that found them
mixed with skipjacks close to Santa Maria, where they caught up to five
football size, plus up to seven skipjacks in a day. The W.O.N tuna tournament
is coming up with fishing next Thursday and Friday; we know the big tuna are
there and we are keeping a close eye on “Wild Hooker” a boat that has been
doing particularly well on this species and we expect to see in the prize
money.
 |
|
Craig Lebry from San Diego, Ca, Pamela
Sheveland, Sonia Huggins and Gary Sheveland, from Cabo San Lucas, caught 8
Dorados, aboard Adriana Capt. Enrique
"Kikon" Martinez.
|
LOCATION:
Santa
Maria 1 to 3 miles, Pacific up to four miles out, Old Lighthouse to Golden
Gate.
WEATHER
CONDITIONS: Perfect! It is November; best weather
of the year, clear, sunny skies, calm seas.
AVERAGE
WATER TEMP: 81 F
BEST
LURES: Green combos, tigrillo, white/blue,
petrolero, live bait.
Based on the Catches of Pisces By Tracy
Ehrenberg
