STRIPED MARLIN STILL LEAD CABO BILLFISH COUNTS

Sept. 21, 2006, Tracy Ehrenberg, Pisces Fleet, Cabo San Lucas, Baja Sur, Mexico:

Fishing was good this week at Cabo San Lucas, with plenty of action resulting in a 91 percent overall catch success rate for all fish species combined.

Fifty-one percent of Pisces Fleet charters caught billfish, with striped marlin being the most abundant and then almost even amounts of sailfish and blue marlin.

It was nice to see some size on the blue marlin front. "Tracy Ann" landed a 400 pound fish at Destiladeras on September 19th for Patrick Neville. The blue marlin took a guacamaya lure.

A 350 pound blue marlin was taken aboard "C Rod" on the 18th at Destiladeras, and the boat also landed a half dozen yellowfin tuna.

"Rebecca" had an enviable day, with a blue marlin close to 300 pounds, a sailfish and two dorado for Joe Kovack from Fort Collins, Colo.

Cabo San Lucas fishing locations changed quite a bit during the week. One day boats headed to the Cortez side and mainly to Destiladeras, whilst the next day they would fish the area off of the old lighthouse.

Pisces Fleet anglers caught 34 billfish, consisting of 20 striped marlin all released, 6 blue marlin, 2 released and 8 sailfish all released.

Dorado continued as the number one sport fish at Cabo San Lucas this week with 60 percent of boats catching between one and eleven fish between 18 and 30 pounds.

John Ledger from England caught two huge dorado, one at 50 pounds and the other close to 60 pounds. Most Cabo dorado were caught on the Pacific side from the lighthouse as far up as Golden Gate.

Yellowfin tuna catches were decent at a 30 percent catch rate. Tuna catches were from one to ten fish per boat, with weights from 15 to 45 pounds. Although tuna were found both on the Cortez and Pacific sides, the better location was from San Jose del Cabo to Destiladeras, with sardinas functioning well.

A nice 60 pound wahoo was caught aboard "Ruthless" twelve miles off of San Jose del Cabo, one of only two caught by Pisces Fleet this week.

Cabo San Lucas fishing weather has made a change and mornings on the Pacific feel distinctively cooler, still followed by blazing hot days, but evenings are also breezier. Skies are clear, and seas calm, although there are whitecaps in the late afternoon on the Pacific side.

Average water temperature was 83 F.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from Cabo San Lucas and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for Cabo San Lucas may be found at Mexfish.com's main Cabo San Lucas page.