GOLDEN GATE BANK FISHING STEADY FOR MARLIN AND SOME WAHOO

Dec. 1, 2006, Mike Connolly, charter boat Falcon, Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

Cabo sea conditions got tough and that changed things.

The long run to the Finger Bank was too punishing for most Cabo boats. The Golden Gate Bank was far enough.

Fishing at the Golden Gate remained good for striped marlin, not for every boat every moment, but those that put in the time were usually rewarded.

There is tonnage of mackerel bait to keep the marlin around.

Some frigate birds are present in the afternoons but not many.

It's mostly meter and instinct fishing, with no surface sign at all, just as it usually is here.

Northern winds and big swells along the Pacific coast of Baja cooled the surface water temperatures and may have been responsible for the large amount of striped marlin tailers spotted heading toward Cabo San Lucas.

On my boat Falcon with Capt. Manuel Romero, fishing in the 8 to 9 foot swells all we got was a glance at a tail or two before they disappeared.

Then we went with our best guess as to the correct pace and when to toss baits. This worked for several doubles and a quad on sailfish of which 2 slipped the hook.

On Thursday, Falcon's total catch was 8 for 12 billfish, and 1 dorado.

We fished until 1 p.m. It was exciting visual fishing. The best action remained at the Golden Gate Bank and on the way home, offshore from Poso de Coto and San Cristobal, 4 to 6 miles.

The Cabo San Lucas sportfishing boat Ni Modo II was good for 6 striped marlin on bait Thursday at the Golden Gate.

The boat Gladiator with Daniel Alvarez found very good wahoo fishing, scoring 7 wahoo along with 7 marlin, and the Carpe Diem with Jeff Hamm took 3 out of 4 wahoo bites along with several marlin.

All this fishing happened a few miles southwest of the Golden Gate. Most of these fish were hooked on regular marlin jigs.

Cabo San Lucas water temperatures are now into the upper 70s. The fish are on the move, it seems, with a very good chance to score on jigs or bait nearly everywhere.

(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.