SPECIES FISHING SPECIALIST SCORES FIRST STRIPED MARLIN

Sept. 13-20, 2005, John Snow, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico Species Fishing Reports:

Fishing Summary: One New Species, a striped marlin. Five, thirty to ninety minute surf fishing trips at San Jose del Cabo with exceedingly poor results plagued by enormous surf creating unfishable water conditions. Six fish collected in total, however getting skunked on the three of the five occasions.

Four days of truly exceptional Panga fishing with Captain Pata with two days postponed due to ocean conditions. The water temperature off San Jose del Cabo was a consistent 86-degrees and was pristine blue since all fishing time was spent in a small area 25 north of La Playita. On the days we were able to launch, once off the beach, water and weather conditions were excellent. Overall came in contact with only 23 individual species, of which a Striped Marlin was the first I have caught in some 300 fishing trips with Captain Pata. The bait guys were present and provided an abundance of high quality bait.

Major targeted game species count from four days of Panga fishing: Dorado (small) – 5; Leopard Grouper – 1; striped marlin – 1; Yellow Snapper – 3, Yellowfin Tuna (Muy Feurte!) - 31. I would rate this week just about as good as it gets with a return to where it was five years ago. The only exception is that it is very frustrating to know that there is an abundance of major game species present and you are unable to launch due to high waves. There was excellent quality bait available, and excessive heat significantly reducing the Gringo’s present.

Species Summary, 22 known and 1 new:

*Anchovy, Slender (Fish Number 28) Croaker, Longfin (Fish Number 152) *Croaker, Yellowfin (Fish Number 35) Dorado (Fish Number 82) Grouper, Leopard (Fish Number 58) Grunt, Burrito (Fish Number 1) *Herring, Flatiron (Fish Number 19) *Herring, Yellowfin (Fish Number 10) *Jack, Bigeye (Fish Number 98) Jack, Green (Fish Number 65) *Ladyfish (Fish Number 100) Lizardfish, Reef (Fish Number 42) Marlin, Striped (Fish Number 167) – NEW! Rainbow Runner (Fish Number 101) Sergeant Major, Panamic (Fish Number 41) *Scad, Bigeye (Fish Number 88) Snapper, Dog (Fish Number 52) Snapper, Yellow (Fish Number 4) Triggerfish, Orangeside (Fish Number 26) Triggerfish, Finescale (Fish Number 9) Tuna, Skipjack, Black (Fish Number 79) Tuna, Skipjack (Fish Number 155) Tuna, Yellowfin (Fish Number 89). *Collected in the bait tank. **Beach collections.

Part I, Surf Fishing Report, 100% Catch and Release:

Day 1, September 14, 2005 – Km 21, Cabo Real, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, sixty minutes before sunset, large pounding surf, highest tide, water temperature 86-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: one Longfin Croaker, 12 inches, two Burrito Grunts, to 10 inches, one Sergeant Major, 6 inches, one Dog Snapper, 12 inches.

Day 2, September 15, 2005 – Km 21, Cabo Real, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, sixty minutes before sunset, large pounding surf, highest tide, water temperature 86-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: Skunked!

Day 3, September 16, 2005 – Con Amigo Dave - Km 24, Cabo Colorado, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico, thirty minutes before sunset, large pounding surf, highest tide, water temperature 86-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 2-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: Skunked! The conditions were unfishable! Km 26, Palmilla Cove, thirty minutes before sunset, rather tranquil surf, highest tide, water temperature 86-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 0.5-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Catch summary: One Burrito Grunt, 10 inches.

Day 4, September 17, 2005 – Con Amigo Dave – trip to Todos Santos Commercial Beach with a stop at the Trailer Park on the way home. Fishing at Todos Santos was very tranquil but no fish present. Fishing at the Trailer Park had to be quickly abandoned due to very hazardous enormous pounding surf. Catch summary: Nada!

Day 5, September 18, 2005 – Con Amigo Dave – Km 8, East Cape Road, sixty minutes before sunset, large pounding surf with long rolling waves, low tide, water temperature 86-degrees, utilizing a fish finder rig – 15-pound test, 2-oz barrel sinker, bead, swivel, 15 pound test and size 4, Mustad 92553 hook with frozen cut Squid. Unfishable. Catch summary: Skunked! Part II. Fishing with Captain Pata, Panga Solome, La Playita. La Playita Sport Fishing activity picked up continued exceedingly slow with about 10 of the 40 Pangas in use two days and only 5 on the third day.

Day 1, September 13, 2005 - Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Ocean was tranquil with a slowly building El Norte that was not a problem. Excellent supply of live bait available. Water was pristine blue, 84-degrees. Fished a small area 25 miles northeast of La Playita. Style was either yo-yo iron, traditional bottom fishing with sardines, fish scraps or squid and flylinned Sardines and even a 10-pound Yellowfin Tuna. Catch can be summarized as: two Green Jacks, to 4 pounds, two and a half Reef Lizardfish, 6 inches, one Striped Marlin, 50 pounds, three Yellow Snappers to 12 pounds, four Finescale Triggerfish, to 6 pounds, six Orangeside Triggerfish, to 2 pounds – all catch and release, one Skipjack Tuna, 10 pounds, six Yellowfin Tuna, to 25 pounds. Miscellaneous: NADA!

Day 2, September 15, 2005 - Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Ocean was tranquil with a slowly building El Norte that was not a problem. Excellent supply of live bait available. Water was pristine blue, 84-degrees. Fished a small area 25 miles northeast of La Playita. Style was either yo-yo iron or flylinned Sardines. Catch can be summarized as: two Dorado, to 10 pounds, one Leopard Grouper, 14 pounds, one Green Jack, 4 pounds, and six Yellowfin Tuna, to 50 pounds. Miscellaneous: NADA!

Day 3, September 17, 2005 - Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata con Amigo David, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Ocean was tranquil with a slowly building El Norte that was not a problem. Excellent supply of live bait available. Water was pristine blue, 84-degrees. Fished a small area 25 miles northeast of La Playita. Style was either yo-yo iron (nonproductive) or flylinned Sardines. Catch can be summarized as: one Dorado, 8 pounds, one Green Jack, 4 pounds, one Skipjack Tuna, 15 pounds, two Black Skipjack Tuna, to 10 pounds, fourteen Yellowfin Tuna, to 50 pounds, and one Finescale Triggerfish, 3 pounds. Miscellaneous: a large school of flying fish appeared being chased by tuna!

Day 4, September 19, 2005 – Scrubbed after a two hour wait. Only Eric launched two "Gringo Pangas" on this morning.

Day 5, September 20, 2005, San Jose del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Fishing for six hours with Captain Pata con Amigo David. Both the launch off the beach and the landing were tedious and stressful but non-eventful. Ocean was tranquil once off the beach. Excellent supply of live bait available. Water was pristine blue, 85-degrees. Fished a small area 25 miles northeast of La Playita. Style was either yo-yo iron (nonproductive) or flylinned Sardines. Catch can be summarized as: one Dorado, 10 pounds, two Green Jacks, to 4 pounds, three Rainbow Runners, to 30 inches, one Skipjack Tuna, 15 pounds, three Black Skipjack Tuna, to 10 pounds, and five Yellowfin Tuna, to 25 pounds. Miscellaneous: the sea was more or less dead at the beginning but became alive when the chumming began!

Day 6, September 21, 2005 – Scrubbed at noon the preceding day based on "wave forecasts" which I don’t believe materialized.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from San Jose del Cabo and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for San Jose del Cabo may be found at Mexfish.com's main San Jose del Cabo page.