MIXED GAME FISH SPECIES THIS WEEK
INCLUDE MARLIN, TUNA, DORADO, AND WAHOO

Dec. 22-29, 2004, Benjamin Ortega, Solmar Fleet, Cabo San Lucas, Baja Sur, Mexico:

Fishing in Cabo San Lucas waters this winter is best described as "what you pick is what you get."

Want to catch marlin? Got plenty of them.

How about dorado (mahi-mahi)? Not what could be described as red hot, but what you get are trophy sized.

Any tuna around? Yep, and a few wahoo also.

Ken Bibby came to fish at Cabo San Lucas, all the way from England, with his 10-year-old son to test Cabo's waters this past week. They weren't disappointed. In fact, they were downright flabbergasted. Who wouldn't be.

Their catch, all made on live mackerel: 13 dorado from 42 to 56 pounds, one yellowfin tuna of 38 pounds and a 153-pound striped marlin, all caught on live bait from the Cabo San Lucas fishing boat El Torito, off Punta Palmilla.

Diane Beblo of San Diego, Calif. came in with another of those trophy dorado, a 59-pounder caught from the Cabo San Lucas boat, San Lucas IV.

And then there's Robert and Susan Sima of San Antonio, Tex. They fished the Solmar VII off that same Cabo San Lucas point where they caught and released a pair of stripers on a trolled orange and green lure.

Californian's Kirk and Cometney Usher fished the inside Gordo Bank aboard the San Lucas VI where they shared in catching a 168-pound striper and a 58-pound wahoo. Both fish were taken on live mackerel.

In fact, for the first time this year, Cabo San Lucas marlin fishing was so good last week the catch average was better than one per boat, 59 caught in 58 outings by the Solmar fishing fleet.

Among the many other lucky billfishers were Jorge Antonio of Veracruz, Mex., who caught a 178-pound striper while fishing the Solmar II off the San Jose Bank. Kimo McEwen of Highland, Calif., a 101-pounder from the Solmar IV. Andrew Samuels and Jose Luis Sanchez of Temecula, Calif., a pair of 100-pound stripers from the Solmar, with Capitan Javier Abaroa, 25 miles outside the cape. And a 140-pound striper on a orange and yellow jig by Christopher Meredith of Reno, Nev., who fished the Faro Viejo from the Cabo San Lucas boat, San Lucas V

Total catch for the week in 58 outings by the Solmar' Cabo San Lucas fishing fleet was 59 striped marlin including releases, 42 yellowfin tuna, 33 dorado, 23 bonito and seven wahoo.