STORMY CONDITIONS SHORTEN THE FISHING WEEK FOR BOATS AT CABO SAN LUCAS

Sept. 30-Oct. 6, 2005, Tracy Ehrenberg, Pisces Fleet, Cabo San Lucas sportfishing, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

This week's Cabo San Lucas fishing report is much shorter due to the port being closed for three days, September 30th, October 1st and October 2nd, due to the proximity of Hurricane Otis.

On September 30th, there were gusts of wind to 40 mph and seas were very rough, as well as on Saturday. By Sunday it was much calmer but the Port Captain chose to keep Cabo San Lucas fishing boats in. Monday was kind of an exploratory day with boats unsure where to go after the seas had been churned up, but hoping to find some dorado under floating debris.

Fishing at Cabo San Lucas was a bit up and down for the first couple of days after the port opened, with seas still a bit rough.

We did have several boats with seasick anglers. However, those sticking it out generally caught a dorado, or a striped marlin.

Boats fished both extremes of our Cabo San Lucas fishing grounds, Golden Gate to Gordo Banks, and fish were found on both sides.

Towards the end of the week, things were back on track and we were starting to see some very nice catches, such as a 300 pound blue marlin caught by A. J Woodall from Pueblo West, Colorado, who also caught a 44 pound wahoo and a dorado a the Golden Gate aboard "Happy Boy" on October 6th. The blue took a trolled "Petrolero" lure.

This same day October 6th, "Sundancer" had a 400 pound blue marlin and striped marlin both released and "Libre" also released two striped marlin.

Our overall catch success rate this week was 80 percent with 46 percent of boats catching billfish. Pisces anglers caught 35 billfish this week consisting of 25 striped marlin, 6 blue marlin, and 3 sailfish, all but two fish were released.

After marlin, dorado were the most numerous species, with 37 percent of boats catching fish in the 15 to 35 pound class. Catches were usually one or two fish, and less often four or five. The dorado were found over the whole area, with quite a few close in to shore.

Tuna began to move into the area at the close of this report, with some fish reported as large as 80 pounds. Catches were from one to seven fish found from Golden Gate to the 1150 spot. Nineteen percent of charters found tuna. There were a few wahoo to fifty pounds. Inshore pangas caught skipjacks, small cabrilla and some pargo to 20 pounds.

Fishing locations included the Golden Gate to Punta Gorda, hot spots in between were the 1150 and 95. Cabo San Lucas had some rain on Friday and Saturday, Sunday pretty dry, seas now calming. Average water temperature: 81-83 degrees.