CABO SPORT BOATS SWITCH FROM THE PACIFIC
TO CORTEZ SIDE FOR STEADY BILLFISH ACTION

Sept. 2-8, 2005, Tracy Ehrenberg, Pisces Fleet, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico Fishing Report:

Cabo San Lucas fishing is right on track for September, though we would like to see a higher overall catch success rate. This week it was 72 percent for all species combined. Nearly all charters, even if they didn't catch fish, saw or hooked something, but just couldn't get a hook up to stay.

There were more billfish than anything else caught at Cabo San Lucas with a mixture of blue marlin, striped marlin and sailfish; 68 percent of boats got to play one or more of these big fish.

Striped marlin were the number one catch, closely followed by sailfish.

Blue marlin catches were about half of those.

Cabo San Lucas sportfishing boats started out the week on the Pacific concentrating at the Golden Gate, but then switched to the Cortez side, namely, the 95 and 1150 spot, and then graduated to Gordo Banks.

"Rebecca" was lucky for Willie Mayes & Jonathan Ogletrer, from Texas, releasing two sailfish and catching a 200 lb blue on September 2nd.

This same day "Valerie" had a blue close to 300 lbs for Michael Murray from Indiana. Next day "Rebecca" fished a little further up the Sea of Cortez in front of San Jose and managed to release three sailfish, a striped marlin and a blue marlin, for Theresa Jones and friends, who turned out be the anglers of the week.

There were several boats that had triple striped marlin days, or two stripes and a sail.

Pisces anglers caught a total of 74 billfish at Cabo San Lucas this week, consisting of 33 striped marlin, 29 sailfish and 12 blue marlin, 64 fish were released.

Tuna and dorado catches are much slower than we expect for this time of year at Cabo San Lucas. We did have a couple of decent tuna days, but overall only 12 percent of charters caught fish in the 15 to 40 pound class. The Iman bank located just two miles offshore close to San Jose proved to be a good spot for yellowfin, with huge fish spotted, but seldom caught. It was the smaller school fish that provide most action.

On September 8th Phillip and William Adams from Lafayette, Ca. had a great time aboard "Adriana", landing nine yellowfin from 15 to 25 lbs and releasing a sailfish.

"La Brisa" fishing the same location managed to catch eight, plus two dorado. These were the best catches for us, otherwise tuna caught were those picked up whilst trolling earlier in the week on the Pacific side.

Dorado catches were a little better with 19 percent of boats hooking fish in the 15 to 30 lb class. Catches were usually just one or two fish, but they were over a wide area and a nice bonus, when looking for billfish. No wahoo for us this week. Inshore pangas caught triggerfish and the some dorado. Average water temperature, 86 degrees.