STRIPED MARLIN CATCHES DROP BY TWO-THIRDS

March 9-17, 2005, Benjamin Ortega, Solmar Fleet, Cabo San Lucas fishing, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

When the wind blows from the east, fish bite the least. Or so an old say goes. How else does one explain a week when the marlin catch at Cabo San Lucas was only a third of the previous weekly catch for these striped exotics?

One of the most unusual catches was made by a Mr. Coplan of Los Angeles. Fishing off Cabo San Lucas from the Solmar VII off the Gordo Banks, Coplan boated eight giant squid weighing between 30 and 45 pounds. He also released two marlin.

Yellowfin tuna provided most of the small game fishing action at Cabo San Lucas, as exemplified by Denver, CO angler Brab Haga who boated 12 of the feisty tuna and three yellowtail fishing the Solmar IV off the Migrino.

Dorado also put on a fair bite. A Mr. Mathews (again no last name) of San Diego, CA, bagged six of them, averaging between 20 and 35 pounds, along with three yellowfin tuna fishing the Faro Viejo aboard the Cabo San Lucas charter fishing boat Solmar III.

Wahoo, the most favored of small game fish in Cabo waters--or any other region for that matter--made the day for Mexico City angler Jose Antonio when he caught a pair, along with three yellowfin. He fished northeast of the Gordo Banks aboard the Cobo sportfishing cruiser Solmar VI.

Chris and Diana Carter of Louisville, TN also ran into giant squid, taking five in addition to eight yellowfin tuna while fishing from the El Torito west of Cabo San Lucas' Old Lighthouse.

The tuna bite was fairly good on small trolled feather lures off the Golden Gate Bank, where a Mr. Skinner of Portland, OR, boated six, averaging 25 to 30 pounds. He fished the Solmar.

A Miami FL couple, Hagen and Angebine also fished the Golden Gate, where they caught four yellowfin averaging 30 to 35 pounds while fishing from the San Lucas VI.

Brett Sones of Denver, CO, fishing live sardines and light tackle, nabbed four small yellowtail off the Gordo Banks, fishing the San Lucas IV. Yellowtail, the most popular small game fish in Southern California waters, are seldom taken in the Cabo San Lucas area.

Captain of the week honors went to Mario Arballo of the Solmar IV, whose passengers in six outings caught 11 striped marlin, 32 yellowfin tuna, 10 dorado, three roosterfish and one wahoo.

Total catch for the week by the Solmar fleet including releases, was 16 striped marlin, 59 yellowfin tuna, 27 dorado, 23 yellowtail and five roosterfish.