ROUGH TO MODERATE FISHING CONDITIONS AND
A DAY OF PORT CLOSURE DURING THE WEEK

Aug. 30-Sept. 5, 2004, Capt. George Landrum, Fly Hooker Sportfishing, Cabo San Lucas, Baja Californa Sur, Mexico:

WEATHER: Well, we didn't have to worry about getting into triple digit weather this week at Cabo San Lucas! It is hard to do when you are overcast all the time. September is well known at Cabo San Lucas as Hurricane time and while we don't often get hit by one, the feeder bands that are associated with them often affect us.

Hurricane Harold sent Cabo San Lucas some clouds and rain this week as it passed well to the west of us, and the rain was welcome. Cabo San Lucas had mostly clear skies at the beginning of the week but on Tuesday felt the first few scatterings of rain, then it cleared on Wednesday. On Thursday we got a bit more sprinkles and then Thursday night it moved in. Rain and wind were the words for the end of the week, and it sure knocked the dust off of everything!

WATER: Cabo San Lucas fishing water temps at the beginning of the week were in the 85 degree range on the Pacific side and in the upper 80‚s on the Cortez side. With the overcast from the feeder bands I am not sure what they were at the end of the week in most of the areas but I do know that out in front the water remained in the 83 degree range and was just a bit off color, at least compared to earlier in the week.

Cabo San Lucas surface conditions were rough to moderate at the end of the week and the Cabo San Lucas Port Captain closed the port Thursday at noon, reopened it Friday (with advisories for heavy seas and high winds). A few boats tried to stick it out but almost every one was back in within an hour. Saturday the seas had moderated and the winds died a bit and it was very fishable, but bumpy.

BAIT: No change in bait availability this week, the normal summer Caballito at $2 per bait.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING:

BILLFISH: Perhaps the moon, or maybe the rough water, but something made the Cabo San Lucas Billfish bite drop off. Not that there weren't Marlin being caught, along with some Sailfish, there were fish out there, just not in the numbers of the last two weeks. The same areas were holding them and the 95 Spot as well as the 1150 had fish early in the week. At the tail end of the Cabo San Lucas fishing week there were a few fish found close to shore on the Cortez side but we won't be sure where the concentrations went to until later on.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: Once again there were plenty of Cabo San Lucas Tuna to be found early in the week and the action was great up around the Golden Gate Banks and farther north on the Pacific, close to shore. Some of the fish were in the 80 pound range but most of them were smaller schoolies, in the 20-25 pound class. Find the Porpoise and you had found the fish. Cedar plugs, bright colored feathers and live bait worked well. There were Tuna in other places as well, but they were mostly scattered football fish. At the end of the week it appeared that the fish had moved much farther offshore, but things may settle down now the feeder bands are gone.

DORADO: Cabo San Lucas Dorado action was concentrated on the Pacific side up around the San Jaime and the Golden Gate Banks, as well as there being some wide open action for boats lucky enough to find one of the few paddies floating out there. Most of the fish were in the 12-20 pound class and at the end of the week the bite had moved. More fish farther offshore and slightly larger ones at that!

WAHOO: I saw only one Cabo San Lucas Wahoo flag at the end of the week but had no chance to talk to the Captain or angler.

INSHORE: Plenty of action on Skipjack early in the week but at then end of the week there was no inshore fishing due to the sea conditions.

NOTES: Sigh, September. It is either the best Cabo San Lucas fishing or the worst Cabo San Lucas weather of the year, and this year we have had both! Hopefully we will avoid getting a direct hit this year! While the Cabo San Lucas Billfishing slowed this week, there are some nice Blues out there.

On Monday an American boat reported over the radio that they had released a very nice Blue Marlin after a four hour fight and gave the GPS numbers over the radio. The brother of my Captain went to the area about two hours later and found a #700 Blue floating belly up, it appeared that the fish had been tail wrapped and died during the fight or shortly after release. At least the fish did not go to waste, but I wish the original anglers had stayed with it long enough to be sure it had recovered.