PANGA SUPPORTED KAYAK FISHING TRIP TO EAST CAPE

May 25, 2004, East Cape, Jon Schwartz, Baja California Sur, Mexico kayak fishing report:

It was an interesting time. I had heard that it was relatively dead prior to my arrival. The bait situation when I got there was pretty good, though there seemed to be no mullet. Caballitos and sardines aplenty, or for those seemingly less fortunate, the rayadillos. Though I've heard they're fine baits, I don't ever seem to have any luck with them.

Basically on the outside, 25 miles out to 15 miles, you had 15-30 lb yellowfin. Dodos are pretty much few and far between, though occasionally some good 35-40 lbers. Just real hit and miss, mostly miss.

Fair rooster bite inshore, from 15-40 #, taking sardines and caballitos.

On again, off again striped marlin bite, some boats getting skunked 50% of time or more, others have 3 per boat. Seemed to be best on Monday the day I fished last.

Lots of tuna being found way outside, voraciously feeding but not taking lures or baits or whatever as much as you'd think they would be. No wahoo really to speak of. Pargo bite ok.

Personally, I had two good days. One day I fished just by paddling nearshore on a rental yak dragging a Plano bait bucket and caught and released 1 jack c. to 15# and 3 roosters to maybe 17# or so. Got them all near actor Scott Glenn's house near Rancho Leonero on dines.

The last day I had a panga drop me off in various places with the yak and I landed a small hammerhead, maybe 60#, on squid, much to my surprise. Took a bunch of pics underwater of it, as well as the panguero too some from the boat. Then in the last 15 min stretch we found a rooster c. 15# and I landed him on the yak and released. I brought down my bigger trolling gear but there being no dodos and a scratchy bite, I got bored and called off the trolling after a short while.

Most days wind picked up at 11:45 and died off as usual around 5:00. I'm returning in June, as well as July.

The East Cape water temp ranged between 73-78 on my fishfinder when I had it hooked on my yak, and the water was of a fairly blue qual just offshore, so I'm not sure why the bite isn't better yet. Who knows.

Guillermo was my captain. He is very softspoken and easy to talk to. Turns out he is a big Lord of The Rings fanatic and I am going to bring him the 3rd in the series when I return to East Cape in July. A local kid named Andres tagged along.

At the end of a day with him, I told him to leave me off and I'd paddle back. I was about 30m offshore and I told him all I needed was for him to get me the bait bucket, and, with the wind at my back, I'd be home before supper, he kept telling me how far we were and I was convinced, judging by the far off mountains, that we were close.

Boy was I glad when he showed up about an hour later with the bucket! Turns out I wasn't yet even in La Ribera yet. I was about 10 miles from leonero, and the wind had changed directions, so was now blowing against me.

Strangley enough, I was able to troll the same two sardines for miles without them being bothered by needlefish. The day before the East Cape rooster bite was wide open, but this day, even the needles had taken off. I wonder where they all go?