EAST CAPE SAILFISH--A majestic sailfish caught at East Cape by Michael Fisher's group from Wisconsin. Photo courtesy Michael Fisher.

GOOD EAST CAPE FISHING ACTION OFFSHORE INCLUDES AN EIGHT-SAILFISH DAY

Aug. 29, 2004, Michael Fisher, East Cape, Baja California Sur, Mexico Fishing, Hotel Palmas de Cortez:

We are from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. Fished East Cape on 2 different boats while there, the first 2 days & the 5th on El Tomas (forgot the captains name) & days 3 & 4; Time Out W/Capt. Gilberto.

Flew in to Cabo on the 12th...started fishing @ Palmas on the 14th (stayed out of planes & boats on Friday the 13th for obvious reasons).

Day 2, Sunday the 15th, fishing the same area it was all about sailfish! Eight total sailfish ranging from 7-10' on the same colors & purple Zucker's. Mutliple hits on trolling rigs w/at least half picked up on boat rods tossing 6 - 9" baitfish. We'd have taken more sailfish but ran out of live bait.

Day 3 we ran south & fished yellowfin between Salatito Canyon & Salado Canyon 2-3 nautical miles off shore (109Deg24min approx) in 1200' to 2200' of water. The fish continued moving east into deaper water as the morning faded into the shimmering heat of mid-day sun. After boating 10 good Yellowfin in the 12 - 35lb range we decided to troll for bills just to get the air moving over us. The bills were evasive today.

Day 4 we started early w/Blues on our minds...ran down near Punta Gorda fishing the trough & Cabrilla Seamount & hooked up w/a 5' Wahoo. He ripped up the slant trolling plug & tore through several strands of wire between the hooks before being boated. Captain Gilberto estimated weight around 50 lbs. East Cape fishing was slow until early afternoon when we crossed paths w/a 450 - 500lb blue in the cooler water. Even w/the large rod & reel combos & a full stand up harness set-up, it was a battle. The blue took a green troller (12"), ran hard & sounded repeatedly but was brought to the boat 3x in attempts to cut him loose. On the 3rd attempt he finally bent the #12 hook, slipping back into the deep blue leaving us thrilled & tired w/2 chipped teeth to remember the battle. Ever hook a dumptruck & try to bring em in? That's the best analogy I can think of for this one. A short time later we had an 8' sail hook up & while fighting him in, a 12' sail decided to complicate things. The 8' came in much faster & while scambling around the back of the boat to avoid tangling lines, I ducked under a rod at the stern at the same moment the 8' tailwalked the swim platform. A breeze is always welcome while fishing the Baja in August, though I'd prefer not to feel it coming off the bill of an angry fish inches from my chest...it does make for a great (true) story.

Day 5 we headed out for Dorado in the flats between Punta Soledad & the lighthouse with mixed results. When the Dorado could be engaged, multiple hook-ups were the rule. We ended the trip w/five nice females & the memories of an awsome East Cape fishing experience. We also hit 3 Sails.

Not bad for a couple of Wisconsin Cheeseheads.Weather was good with the heat rolling in around 9:00 a.m. each morning.

Day 1, First day of East Cape fishing started slow as we needed to stretch & tighten line on new reels before getting started. First day (14th) we hit a couple nice sails trolling east of Palmas about 12-16 miles out using green & orange (base color) chuggers & slants w/abalone heads.