COOL WATER TEMPERATURES AND ABUNDANT SQUID
KEEPING THE BITE JUST SO-SO FOR CABO BOATS

July 22-28, 2005, Tracy Ehrenberg, Pisces Fleet, Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Fishing Report:

Fishing in the Cabo San Lucas vacation area this week was pretty decent compared to world standards, with an overall catch success rate of 81 percent for all species combined. A little over 68 percent of sportfishing charters caught billfish, almost exclusively striped marlin and the odd sailfish.

Cabo San Lucas is still way cooler than normal for this time of year. Most charter fishing boats did see marlin and baited them on numerous occasions, but with squid in the area, it was harder to tempt them with mackerel.

The fishing week started out towards Punta Gorda, but then moved closer to Cabo San Lucas, between Red Hill and Cabeza de Ballena, and on some days straight out from Land's End.

Towards the end of the week sportfishing boats headed into the Pacific, namely San Jaime and also off of the Old Lighthouse.

Pisces anglers caught a total of 63 striped marlin this week at Cabo San Lucas with 60 fish released, along with one sailfish. Once we get the sweltering summer temperatures we are used to, the fishing will become more consistent. We will start to see blue marlin and sailfish, along with greater numbers of tuna and dorado.

Fair catches were made on smaller game, with dorado, taking the second spot, after striped marlin as the most common catch. Twenty-four percent of Pisces charter fishing boats hooked up this species. Catches were usually of one or two fish and occasionally three or perhaps four. Weights on dorado were from 12 to 40 pounds.

Yellowfin tuna were a little bit slower than dorado, but some boats did manage to get up to eight, of football size, 15 to 25 lbs, with some up to 50 lbs and others as large as 80 lbs, but this was the exception.

Inshore fishing did not see a great deal of action, except for a few skipjacks and triggerfish.