COOLING WINTER FISHING WATER
TEMPERATURES DOWN TO ABOUT 71 DEGREES

March 7-13, 2005, George Landrum, Fly Hooker Sportfishing, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

Cabo San Lucas fishing weather was fairly normal for March with the week starting out windy and ending windy but with some beautiful warm summer-like day between. Night time lows were in the high 50s and daytime highs came up to the high 70s.

Fishing water temperatures on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas were cooler this week with water out to 15 miles in the 67-68 degree range. This stream of cool water wrapped around the Cape and extended out to near the 1150 and Cabrillo Seamount, warming slightly as it went. The cool water was slightly green in color and there was a fairly well defined color break during the middle of the week. Along with the cool water there were some pretty good sized swells as a result of the wind that started blowing from the NW. The conditions were choppy enough that a few boats returned early with seasick clients. On the Cortez side of Cabo San Lucas, fishing conditions were a bit different as the Cape protected the water from the Pacific swell. Things did get choppy in the afternoon though as the wind kicked into high gear around noon every day. There was a spot of warm fishing water at the end of the week between San Jose and Cabo San Lucas that extended out to almost the 1150 spot, this water was in the 71-72 degree range.

It was a confusing week for Billfish at Cabo San Lucas. The Striped Marlin seem to have taken a vacation as few Cabo San Lucas sportfishing boats were able to find fish willing to bite, or any fish at all for that matter. A few were found on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas at the color break, about 15-18 miles south of the lighthouse. I heard that one fishing boat caught a Black Marlin of around #700, but I had no confirmation of that or any other information. A few of the sportfishing captains I have spoken to have told me that this cool water coming in close to shore on the Pacific should bring in some Swordfish so I am looking forward to that possibility.

Fishing bait at Cabo San Lucas was the normal $2 per bait for Pacific Mackerel.

There was not a lot of change this week on the location and sizes of Yellowfin Tuna. They were definitely the fish of the week, at Cabo San Lucas or at least the Pelagic fish of the week. If a Cabo San Lucas charter fishing boat was flying a flag the chances were almost 90% that it was a white one. The Tuna were found both on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas and also due south. All the fish were associated with Porpoise and while most of them were 10-15 pound footballs there were fish to #80 caught. Feathers in dark colors worked for the football fish and the school fish, most of the larger Tuna were caught by fishing boats dropping live bait ahead of the moving schools, waiting for the fish to pass under them.

Cool water moving in on the beach on the Pacific has chased almost all the Dorado away from the Cabo San Lucas fishing area; the few fish that were caught this week were from the warm water between San Jose and Cabo. There were not many of them, and they were not large, but at least they were hungry!

The co-fish of the week at Cabo San Lucas are the Sierra. The schools keep moving around but the fishing this week was happening on the Pacific side up around Migrino. Of course there were the wind and swells to contend with, but the action was steady on fish averaging 5 pounds but with a few going to 10 pounds. There was little if any bottom fishing action on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas this week but the bite was fair on the Cortez side for Snapper, Grouper and Amberjack. There were a few Yellowtail reported from the Arch and Gray Rock as well.

The Marines have been stopping every boat leaving the Cabo San Lucas Marina in the morning, checking that all papers are in order. The fishery guys are there as well as the Port Captain and all boats, charter as well as private, are being checked to ensure that the temporary importation papers, insurance papers, Captains license, mates license, boats fishing license and individual fishing licenses are on board. If you were missing any of them you were turned around and sent back. They have been checking the boats almost every day for the past few weeks, ever since the federal government decided that the fishing license revenue would stay in the state of origin. With that said, it was a perfect time to move the fishing license office. Originally at the Cabo San Lucas Marina near the main dock they had moved to the middle of town in the same building as the museum. That was convenient as the Papalaria, to buy the needed Form-5s and make copies, was just 100 feet away and there were two banks, where you needed to go and pay for the licenses, within two blocks. Just when it seemed they had everything dialed in they decided to move the office, and of course there was no notice, no message on the door of the old office and no sign on the new one! The new office is across the street from the hotel Mar de Cortez on the second floor, above the internet place. Oh, and now you can't pay at the bank, you have to go to the state office of finance at the other end of town.