Swordfish On Tracy Ann



Tracy Ann with Swordfish from left to right mate Julio Castro Jr., Captain Julio Castro, Deckhand Martin Gonzalez, anglers Rick Morris & Bruce Kesler from Braselton, Georgia USA



Rick Morris & Bruce Kesler from Braselton Georgia did not know what they were in for when they boarded "Tracy Ann" on May 1st. Sure they had expectations of marlin, Cabo is famous for marlin...the weather was beautiful as they left the dock. They made a stop on the way out to pick up some live bait, caballito or horse-jack was the only type available, so they dropped ten into the bait well and were on their way to the 11.50 spot, which had produced some fish the previous day. It wasn't long before they spotted a striped marlin, cast a live bait to it and soon had a hook up. They fought the fish to the boat and estimated it at 170 lbs before successfully releasing it. They then proceeded to troll again as did other boats from our fleet fishing the same area. Valerie and Tracy Ann spotted the swordfish sunning itself on the surface at the same time. The guys on Valerie cast a bait but the fish did not take it, they were circling back to offer another bait, when Tracy Ann swooped in right behind them, cast a bait, which landed right on the bill of the fish and it bit; probably more from annoyance than hunger....but who cares, they were hooked up. They struggled with this very strong fish for over six hours before finally landing it, making it back just before dark. The crew was thrilled; swordfish are such a prized catch. This one was estimated at 270 lbs. Chic McsSherry however, the angler on the Valerie was not thrilled. Chic is from Scotland and a long-time friend and regular angler, he whined to me "That was my fish, I saw it first, it was my fish". This is one of the few billfish he has not caught and this would have been a crowning achievement for him, but that's the way it goes sometimes first-timers get them. Nevetherless, Chic didn't have too much to complain about, he ended up releasing five striped marlin that day.

Fantastic Time Aboard Valerie

Troy and Brittany Geis from Shawnee,  Kansas, were out with friends on April 19th, aboard our 35 ft Bertram Valerie and had a fabulous time. Then ended up releasing this beautiful striped marlin, who was released unhurt and swimming stongly after giving them a workout. We just loved the look of pure joy on their faces....something we all need to do from time to time de-stress and take a vacation.

Here is what they sent us:
"Here is a pic of 4 of the 6 of us on Valerie with our Marlin.  It was 91 inches.   Thanks for another great trip.  Hope to be back next year (or maybe later this year, who knows) Roberto & Rosendo rock!".

Latest Fish Report

April 23th to 30th, 2011


Overall Catch Success Rate 86.05 % for All Species Combined

BILLFISH: We are thrilled to see the marlin catches climb this week - as the waters warm up so does the marlin action. We did have a few skunks, but even then those that did not catch marlin did at least see them, but they were picky and not willing to eat. Despite this SIXTY EIGHT percent of our charters caught striped marlin. “Rebecca” was the top marlin boat this week as they came back with marlin flags every day they went out fishing. Best day was on the 25th for David Kertzman and sons, Andrew and Michael from Seattle, WA with a total of five striped marlin released between 110 to 150 lbs approximately; the fish took live bait caballito and ballyhoos at the 11:50 spot. On the 23rd, “Rebecca” scored big this time with four stripers released for Gerald Richmond from Islamorada, FL; the marlin were released at the same spot on the Sea of Cortez. Next day out Courtney Murphy and Sandy Edmonstone from Calgary, Canada also released four striped marlin between 120 to 150 lbs aboard “La Brisa”; they took a mix of caballito and ballyhoo. We had different boats that had triple marlin days, like “Andrea” on the 25th with three released for a group of guys from Canada and “Adriana” for Ken Ranger, Glenn Brown, Joe Kennedy and Rob Bernard from California and Canada; they released their marlin at the 11:50 spot after hooking them with a mix of green lures and bait. “Tracy Ann” had two triple marlin days, on the 24th for Ron Evenhaim and friends from Los Angeles twenty nine miles from the 11.50 spot. The day before they fished with David Billion and his seven year old son, Max, from Sioux Falls, SD who did well to release their fish in the same area. On the 23rd “Shambala” had a great day for the Canavati family from Monterrey, Mexico with three marlin that took live caballito. We had single and double marlin days too, too numerous to mention them all. Pisces anglers caught a total of 59 striped marlin all released except one.

OTHER SPECIES: Dorado catches are still very quiet, with just a couple on the 23rd aboard “C-Rod” for the Leon de la Barra family from Mexico City; they were also very lucky to release two striped marlin at the hot spot of the week, the 11.50 spot. Yellow tail fishing is the second best bite of the week with twelve percent of our boats catching this tasty fish. On the 28th the Kertzman´s opted to go for the smaller game, after already having five marlin on their score sheet, they went to the Pacific side by the Molino and boated four yellow tail from 10 to 30 lbs as well as releasing a rooster fish; they used rapalas and mullet for the rooster fish. The next day, “C-Rod” had fun on a half day trip for Scott & Blake Lazarus and friends from Long Beach, CA as they reeled in three 20 lb yellowtail and released an impressive50 lbs rooster fish; they took rapalas in front of the desal plant on the Pacific side. On the 28th “Falcon” boated a 30 lb wahoo for Phillip and Anthony Zollars from Scottsdale, AZ which they picked up on the way back to the dock about six miles from Cerro Blanco; earlier in the day they had released a striped marlin at the 11.50 spot; the wahoo took a petrolero lure.

As to other species, we had Spanish mackerel, bonitas, skipjack, needle fish and rooster fish.

WEATHER CONDITIONS: Clear, sunny skies with warmer weather at the end of the week. Some windy afternoons.

LOCATION: Pacific Side – Old Lighthouse, Bombas, Cerro de Arena, Cerro Blanco, Molinos

Sea of Cortez – 11:50 Spot

AVERAGE WATER TEMP. 76 F

BEST LURES Rapalas, guacamayo, hoochis, green/yellow, green, petrolero, chiliwili, cedar plugs, purple

Live bait: caballito, mullet, ballyhood

Based on the catches of Pisces by Ale Almada & Tracy Ehrenberg.

The Kertzman´s boated four yellow tail from 10 to 30 lbs as well as releasing a rooster fish aboard "Valerie" with captain Roberto Sandez and deckhand Ernesto.

Swordfish & Marlin - Latest Update

APRIL 17th to 22nd, 2011


OVERALL CATCH SUCCESS RATE FOR ALL SPECIES COMBINED 87%

BILLFISH: We were very much encouraged to see a climb on marlin catches this week, in fact forty-seven percent of our charters caught striped marlin, this is right on schedule with what scientists told us months ago, that fishing would pick up as the La Niña current comes to an end in the latter part of April. Nevertheless before we even talk about marlin catches, we need to report something even more of a prized catch, the broadbill swordfish. What does a state governor do when he leaves office? Why, he goes fishing and this is exactly what now ex-governor  of Baja California Sur,Narciso Agundez did with his sons last week-end. He was aboard the locally famous “Fisherman” fishing an area between San Jose and the East Cape known as Vinoramas, his group didn’t have a particular plan so they started off close to shore and caught nine groupers up to about 15 lbs, they then hooked and fought a striped marlin to the boat, later in the day around 3.30 pm they spotted a swordfish on the surface, which appeared to be sunbathing. This was a bit odd as it is of common opinion that they like colder, greener water and they were in an area of 74.9 degree water. They cast dead bait to the fish; it ate half then lost interest. They had no bait left but a boat passing by on its way home, handing them some small mackerel; they quickly cast this to the swordfish, who teased them for over 15 minutes, mouthing it, letting it go, mouthing it again until finally it decided to eat it. This resulted in a solid hook-up and an hour later they had a 250 lb swordfish on board. One of this fishing teams usual partners was not on board this day, feeling a bit miffed, Daniel Fisher, headed out to the same area the next day in search of a swordfish too, as he was not about to be outdone. Well, Daniel is a legendary fisherman here, and he also found a swordfish late in the day at almost 6.00 pm, this one was bigger though and it took him two and half hours, with the sun beyond the horizon, before he could get his on board; this one weighed 348 lbs. There are fishermen who fish their entire lives without getting a swordfish, so this is quite an amazing feat. In marlin news we have starting single double and triple marlin days for some boats, on the 17th Matt Rainwater from Fort Worth Texas, released three close to Punta Gorda aboard “Bill Collector” – Matt actually ended up with seven striped marlin for his four days fishing, which was low for him. I’m afraid we have spoilt him in the past with phenomenal bill fishing so this was considered a slow week for him, not there was anything we could do. He had been reading the reports, knew the conditions and took a risk any way. He’s over it now and sent us some truly amazing photos. Another boat with a triple marlin day was “Adriana” on April 20th with Gerardo & Alicia Cruz from Thousand Oaks aboard, who along with friends Xochitl & Antonio Catellan did well to fight these three fish around the 140 lb mark, caught with both ballyhoo and caballito at the 11.50 spot. “C-Rod” rounded out the week with three marlin for Howard & Jennifer Harris, Tammy & Brice Brolles from South Lake, Texas - all released. Pisces anglers caught a total of 25 striped marlin this week, all released except two.

OTHER SPECIES: Small game catches have certainly sustained our reputation as a fishing destination over the last couple of months. With absentee marlin catches, the slack has been taken up with great yellow-tail fishing, this week no exception for fish up to 30 lbs. We also had good catches on sierra close to shore, plenty of skipjack, some pompano, triggerfish, amberjack and cocinero jacks.

WEATHER CONDITIONS: It’s like we have two distinct climates right now, the Pacific and the Sea of Cortez. The Pacific has been cold and windy early morning and in the evenings. The Sea of Cortez on the other hand has been relatively calm with some ground swell the last few days.

LOCATION: Sea of Cortez 95 spot, Palmilla, Punta Gorda, Destiladeres. Boats on half days opted for the area near the Old Lighthouse up to Margaritas on the Pacific.

AVERAGE WATER TEMP. 74 F

BEST LURES: Live bait or dead ballyhoo for marlin, though some took lures also, inshore hoochis, rapalas and strip bait.

Based on the catches of Pisces by Tracy Ehrenberg

In This Photo Ex-Governor Narciso Agundez right, Sons Christian & Narciso Jr. Left

shown with their 250 lb sworfish

This photos shows Daniel Fisher with his 348 lb Swordfish

This Magnificent Shot was taken by Matt Rainwater aboard Bill Collector

Shark Whisperer?

Below you will find a video that we thought was very cool, so we want to share it with you.

We especially like the music (always Tracy’s favorite with the Mariachi bands) and if you understand Spanish you will know why the producer chose this particular song.

It starts off by saying “What beautiful eyes you have below those brows, they want to look at me, but you won’t allow them even to blink (in the video this refers to the unblinking eyes of the sharks)”. It then goes on to talk about a girl from Malaga, Spain, who is a beautiful enchantress who is bewitching; which is what the girl in the video does to the shark- puts it in a trance.

Just watch to see what she does. This is very well filmed and as stated above the music suits it perfectly.

Enjoy

The Tracy Ann Gets This Anglers Vote

Larry Dunsmoor had a great time on Tracy Ann  recently. He sent us this brief note along with some great pictures, which give you a better idea of how his day went. Not only did he have great fishing but he got to see a large school of dolphins, often an added attraction on Cabo fishing trips. It is amazing to see these fast swimming creatures in their natural environment.

"We spent a day on the Tracy Ann in March, great boat, great crew. I promised Captain Julio some pictures of the marlin he got for us. They are attached. Thanks for your hospitality, and for showing us the wonder and beauty of Baja and its oceans. Please feel free to use any of these pictures on your web site.
Thanks again!"

Larry Dunsmoor
Senior Aquatics Biologist
Klamath Tribes

Fish Report Update

April 8th to 15th, 2011

Overall Catch Success Rate 77.42 % For All Species Combined

BILLFISH: Marlin catches were steady this week with twenty three percent of our boats releasing striped marlin, despite that many of the anglers are still going for the inshore action to have some fillets for dinner. Anglers who tried for marlin at least they saw a few jumping or they throw them bait, but they simply where not hungry. One of the best day was on the 10th for Rod and Elliot Beckstrom from Palo Alto, CA as they were lucky to released three striped marlin aboard “Tracy Ann”; they released them at twenty eight miles by the 11:50 spot and the fish took a combination of lure and live bait caballito. “Adriana” had a triple marlin day on the 15th, Jason Rasberry from Raton Rouge, LA had a envy day as he came to Cabo to catch his first marlin ever and looks like one wasn’t enough as he was lucky to catch three at the 11:50 spot, congratulations Jason! The same day, Chris Reger from San Antonio, TX released one striper aboard “Andrea” at the 95 spot; the fish took ballyhoo. “Bill Collector” released another one to our good customer Matthew Rainwater from Forth Worth, TX; they release it a little farther at the Destiladeras. On the 10th David Soretsky and friends from Alberta, Canada released one striper which approximately weighted 140 lbs aboard “Andrea” Our anglers had a total of fifteen striped marlin – all released except one.

OTHER SPECIES: Yellow tail was the top catch this week just with a little difference from marlin catches, with twenty six percent of our boats catching this delicious fish. One of the best day was on the 11th for Ross Kline & his son Derek with friends Moses Wood and Ryan Hurst – all 11 years old; captain ray winkler and Salvador kept them really busy reeling in a total of ten yellow tail, good size of 30 lbs, twenty sierras, twenty white bonitas – they release most of them and just kept five yellow tails and half of the sierras. They were caught at sixteen miles by Migriño on the Pacific side and they used hoochis as lures. On the 14th Paul Pittman and Julie Levenson from Woodside, Ca had three nice 30 lbs yellow tail aboard “Andrea” at Margaritas spot; they hook them up with a combination of yoyos and hoochis. Sierra and bonita action was good with sixteen percent of our boats caught this little fish. On the 10th “Adriana” boated eleven sierra for a couple from Canada; the fish took hoochis. This same day Karie Dunks and Cory Crommette from Encinitas, CA had a mix of this fish with twelve 15 lbs white bonitas and five sierras between 8- 10 lbs aboard “Attitude Adjustment” ; they went to the pacific side at Margaritas. “Cabolero” went on the 15th for bottom fishing and they had a good day with sixteen rock fish, two sea bass and one yellow tail; the fish took a mix of yoyos and hoochis at twelve miles from the Old Lighthouse.

As to other species, we had jack crevalle, sea bass, rock fish, skip jacks and many white bonitas.

WEATHER CONDITIONS: Clear, sunny skies with one or two party cloudy days. Mostly calm seas and some wind blowing on the afternoons.

LOCATION: Pacific Side – Old Lighthouse, Margaritas, Golden Gate, Migriño

Sea of Cortez – 95 spot, 11:50 Spot, Destiladeras, Punta Gorda

AVERAGE WATER TEMP. 73 F

BEST LURES Rapalas, hoochis, yoyos, petrolero, chiliwili, cedar plugs, purple

Live bait: caballito, ballyhoo

Based on the catches of Pisces by Ale Almada & Tracy Ehrenberg.

The Extra Service Makes a Difference

Thanks to everybody for a great fishing trip! The added service of freezing our catch and storing it for us was great . My family and the fish got home just fine.

We’ll see you in the fall!
Thanks again!

Ross Kline
President/CEO
LDS Corp.
Reno, NV 89511

Latest Fish Report

April 3rd to 8th, 2011

Overall Catch Success Rate 83.34% For All Species Combined

BILLFISH: O.K. things are not great, but we had a sign this week that they may soon well be; on April 7th “Shambala” had an incredible day, probably the best marlin day for us of the year so far, when they caught nine striped marlin for Bob Elmore & friends from Madison, Mississippi. To achieve this though, they had to go out a pretty long way, 40-45 miles out from Vinoramas, which is not far from Cabo Pulmo. The marlin took live mullet and all but one, which died during the fight, were released. Marlin catches overall showed an improvement though a lot of anglers when given a choice trying for marlin, opted for inshore where a more sure catch was likely. Those anglers that did try for marlin were not always successful; on occasion they saw a dozen or more in a day but could not get them to bite, however twenty five percent of our boats released at least one marlin. On the 4th, “Falcon” did well to release three striped marlin between 120 – 150 lbs ten miles out from Destiladeras for Michael Connelly and friends. A day before this, “C-rod” had a triple marlin day also for faithful client John Carey and friends from Saint Louis, MI. Not only did John have marlin he also hooked a broadbill swordfish that they had on for over an hour before they lost the approximate 200 lb fish. They were fishing five and a half miles out from the Cabrillo Sea Mount –live bait was the ticket for all of their hook-ups. “C-Rod” scored again on April 5th with a double marlin hook up for the Kitchen´s and the Galla´s from Muskegon, MI; this time they were fishing a little close at the 11.50 spot. “Falcon” was on the money again on the 6th again with Michael Connelly & friends aboard with two stripers released at Destiladeras. Our anglers had a total of twenty five striped marlin – all released except two.

OTHER SPECIES: Dorado catches are still on the slow side, only one boat was lucky to return with a yellow flag. On the 5th Mark and Sandy Cunningham, a charming couple from Buffalo, NY boated a respectable 35 lb dorado aboard “Bill Collector” with captain Julio Gonzalez; they caught the fish with a white/red lure at the 11:50 spot after releasing two striped marlin; an enviable day. The best catches for smaller game were for white bonita and sierra. Forty five percent of our anglers caught between one to sixty nine white bonitas (the good kind that you can eat), with the majority released. April 6th was definitely a bonita day, “La Brisa” caught sixty nine bonitas and eleven sierra for Tyler Leggette and Lane Covachuck from Canada; they released most of the fish and just kept a few fillets to have them cooked up at Captain Tony’s. This species is biting on rapalas at Migriño on the Pacific side. “Valerie” had action for the Saretsky party from Canada reeling in thirty bonitas and twenty sierra at the same spot. This same group also went out on “Ruthless” where they had twenty one bonitas and twenty sierras, most of them released well; they fished close by at Pozo de Cota. Yellowtail are still around giving us a seventeen percent catch rate for this delicious fish. On the 6th Karl Tek and his son signed up for a panga with us and caught four between 10 and 20 lbs and two sierra, one of them was a nice size at 15 lbs.

As to other species, we had one hammer head shark for Debra & Robert Tucker and Andy & Sarah Dale from Ohio aboard “C-Rod” – they released the shark estimated at 70-80 lbs they also caught two yellowtails for dinner.

WEATHER CONDITIONS: Clear, sunny skies. Mostly calm seas to some choppy days with windy afternoons.

LOCATION: Pacific Side – Old Lighthouse, Pozo Cota, Margaritas, Golden Gate, Migriño

Sea of Cortez – 95 spot, 11:50 Spot, Barco Varado, Cabrillo, Cabrillo, Vinoramas, Destiladeras

AVERAGE WATER TEMP. 73 F

BEST LURES Rapalas, hoochis, yoyos, petrolero, white/red

Live bait: caballito, mullet, ballyhood

Based on the catches of Pisces by Ale Almada & Tracy Ehrenberg.

Eric & Stacey Bewley from New Mexico and Mike & Marissa Simmons from Colorado had a great time aboard "Andrea" with three nice yellow tail for a delicious dinner; they released nineteen bonitas as well.

Fulfilling A Dream of a Lifetime

We sometimes take for granted the beautiful place in which we live, Cabo San Lucas  and the bountiful fishing that we experience pretty much year round. However, this letter that we received recently made us reflect on what a fabulous place this is. Below is a moving e-mail from Dave who fished on April 1st:

"As I sit here on my last day in Cabo and read the fishing report I can only  think about how blessed I was to fish with Julio and Martin on April 1st. As a young kid fishing on the pier in Redondo Beach, California in the 60's I would watch the sport fishing boats leave and dream of having the chance to do the same thing in the future. I have had to cancel two all expense paid trips to Cabo for family reasons. Finally I made it down here for the first time. I read the online fishing reports and it apeared that the Tracy Ann with  Julio Castro as the captain was the clear choice for my first attempt to cach a marlin. When I got on the boat Julio asked me what I wanted to fish for, and I said I came to catch a marlin so lets go for the big fish. He and Martin spared no effort as we seen a few  marlin but could not get them to take the bait. Julio pressed on and we were almost 45 miles out. Finally we seen two more marlin and one was hooked up. It was the best fishing experience of my life. To see the marlin jump out of the water was really special. After about a 20 minute fight we got him along side the boat. Martin asked me if I wanted to keep it. I looked at that magnificant, beautiful fish that God created and decided I could not kill such a majestic creature of the sea. It was better to release it so when I come back next year in what may become a yearly ritual. I can have a chance to catch it again only it will have grown bigger by then. I just hope I do not do the same. Thank you Julio and Martin for working your butts off and making my day far exceed my boyhood dreams of leaving the harbor on a big sport fishing boat and returning with the memories of a lifetime. Thanks again to all of the Pisces crew untill next year, good fishing and be safe".

Dave Wilkins, Scottsdale, AZ