PLENTY OF STRIPED MARLIN BEING
FOUND BUT MOST ARE NOT HUNGRY

June 6, 2004, Capt. George Landrum, Fly Hooker Sportfishing, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

CABO SAN LUCAS WEATHER: Quite the unusual week we had with Cabo San Lucas air temperatures! Early in the week we actually had a night with 62 degree air, and on Sunday morning (very early, before light) our thermometer registered 80 degrees! Our daytime temps have been in the low 90‚s and we have had mostly clear skies and no rain at all, though we were reported to have had a 30% chance of thunderstorms and brief showers on Friday.

CABO SAN LUCAS WATER: On the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas the water is still cool. From the Cape out to the San Jaime Banks the temps range from 64 to 70 degrees with the warmer water at the Banks. The Golden Gate Banks is registering 70 degrees as well. South of Cabo San Lucas for 30 miles we have 71-72 degree water and past that it warms to 74 degrees. On the Sea of Cortez from the 95 to the 1150 to the Gorda Banks we have water temperatures in the 74-76 degree range. The water off Cabo San Lucas is a deep blue well offshore and just a tinge of green close in on the Cortez side. Surface conditions have been good with slightly choppy conditions on the Pacific early in the week, mellowing out in the mornings as the week wore on. Great conditions on the Cortez side all week long!

BAIT: Almost all caballitos this week with some mullet available. The normal $2 per bait. Sardina are available at $20 a bucket.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING:

BILLFISH: Cabo San Lucas water is warming up and the fish are returning. We did have a few days when they were almost impossible to find, but that often happens when we have a sudden change in the water temperatures. As the week came to an end, most Cabo San Lucas boats were reporting plenty of striped marlin being found, but not many of them biting. At least the fish are closer to home this week, and as the moon gets smaller perhaps the bite will turn on. The 95 spot has been the hot area, as well as just to the south of the San Jaime banks.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again we had very few yellowfin tuna come in on Cabo San Lucas boats. It seems that most of the fish have been up in the East Cape area, it is just a matter of time before they come this way! Those fish that have been caught in Cabo San Lucas have been footballs, and most of them have not been associated with porpoise. The San Jaime area and to the south of there had a fair amount of these footballs, and there was rumor of one very nice fish of 134 pounds off of the bank on live bait.

DORADO: We keep hoping it is just a matter of time and the Cabo San Lucas dorado bite will open up. Normally around this time of year we start to get small pieces of kelp paddies coming down the Pacific coast and these will hold a lot of fish, so our fingers are crossed! Meanwhile, there are limited amounts of small Dorado being found close to shore on the Sea of Cortez side and a few larger fish being found off shore. The key for both areas has been finding working Frigate birds and pulling live bait through the area.

WAHOO: Once again just a few scattered fish were found this week. The 95 spot kicked out a few as well as the Gorda Banks. Bright colored lure, most in green/yellow, seemed to get bit better than dark colors this week.

INSHORE: Cabo San Lucas inshore action was pretty good this week. Just before we had the sudden change in water temperature that is. Off the beach at the Pedregal there was a good bite on Roosterfish averaging 30 pounds with quite a few jack crevalle in the mix as well. Dog snapper were found in numbers off of Punta Ballena and they were biting well on live Sardinas, but you had to get right up in the rocks to get them. Just outside the surf break there were scattered small Dorado. Boats working isolated rocks in water from 60 to 150 feet deep found gulf grouper and snapper willing to bite, and some of these fish went to 50 pounds (Grouper, not Snapper).