COOLER THAN USUAL FISHING WATER TEMPERATURES
KEEPING STRIPED MARLIN ACTIVE

Aug. 4-10, 2005, Benjamin Ortega, Solmar Fleet, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico Fishing:

Striped marlin fishing, spurred by unusually cool water, continues to give Cabo San Lucas tourist anglers all they can handle and more.

Normally, Cabo San Lucas fishing vacation area water temperatures in August float between 78 and 80 degrees. This season, however, Cape water temperatures have hovered between 69 and 75 degrees, which striped marlin seem to like most.

Beth and David Winton of Columbia, MO, found the bite off Pozo Cota worth writing home about. It was there that they caught and released two Cabo San Lucas stripers, along with a pair of yellowfin tuna while fishing from the Solmar III.

Cody Murray and Stephen Skala of Rogers, TX, used a yellow and green lure in splitting the catch of two stripers off Cerro Colorado. They fished the Cabo San Lucas charter sportfishing boat El Torito.

Ashley Garcia of Albuquerque, N.M., caught her first marlin, a striper, on a live mackerel fished from the Solmar IV off Faro Viejo.

Mackerel also was the hot bait for two California anglers, Dan Smithwick and Ruben Lerma. Smithwick, of Danville, fished the Cabo San Lucas charter boat Solmar III in taking his striper and a lone yellowfin tuna at the Gordo Bank. Lerma, of North Highlands, caught his marlin off the Jaime Bank fishing from the San Lucas VI.

While Joseph Straan and Roselyn Bledsoe of Northridge, CA, failed to conquer any billfish at the Gordo Bank, the did a pretty good job on yellowfin tuna, weighing between 15 and 48 pounds - all taken on live mackerel on the El Torito.

Solmar Fleet captain of the week honor went to Adalberto Agundez of the Solmar III, whose passengers in seven outings caught 19 marlin, 14 yellowfin tuna and 17 dorado.

The total catch for the period by the Solmar Cabo San Lucas fishing fleet, including releases, was 73 striped marlin, 37 yellowfin tuna, 45 dorado, seven wahoo and four sierra.