DORADO COUNTS UP IN GENERALLY SLOWER FISHING
THIS WEEK ON MEXICO'S SOUTHERN SEA OF CORTEZ

Sept. 17-23, 2004, Chris Moyers, East Cape Smoke House, East Cape, Baja fishing, Mexico:

East Cape Charters 245. Anglers 722. Total Fish 984. Fish/Charter 4.02. Fish/Angler 1.36. Catch including released fish: Blue Marlin 12. Striped Marlin 25. Sailfish 56. Dorado 445. Yellowfin Tuna 446. Water Temperature 80-88. Air Temperature HIGH 95 LOW 74. Seas Fri-Wed: calm all day. Winds Fri-Thurs: calm in the a.m. with slight breezes developing in the p.m.

East Cape fishing slowed just a bit this past week amigos, but there's still some pretty decent fishing to be had down here on the East Cape.

The dorado (also mahi-mahi or dolphinfish) bite picked up nicely when compared to the previous week and there's some nice Dodos being landed. In fact the East Cape Dorado bite really kicked in gear later in the week.

While the Yellowfin bite has dropped off slightly in the last few days, there are still plenty of nice Tuna being landed currently.

With the drop in the amount of Sailfish being landed at East Cape, the billfish count is pretty minimal at this point, but we'll look for those numbers to increase some as we get into October and November.

Environment-wise, we had a pretty uneventful week down here on the East Cape. There are currently no hurricanes to contend with and we had very little wind or rain to speak of either, at least locally. There have been scattered thunderstorms in the vicinity between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas, but nothing here. There have been plenty of partly cloudy and cloudy skies which continue to cool down the usually hot afternoons. This past week saw East Cape air temps range between 74-95, so it hasn't been too bad in terms of the heat. East Cape fishing water temp saw a range of 80-88 with some real nice temp breaks not too far offshore between Punta Pescadero and Punta Arena. Bait-wise, we've got nice mackerel and sardines.

The East Cape billfish count is pretty unimpressive at present. The overall catch rate for all species of billfish is down to about 13%, which is fairly normal for this time of year.

Regarding Blue Marlin, anglers reported their landings to the north off Punta Pescadero (25 miles), straight off Los Barriles (35 miles), as well as to the south off la Ribera (21 miles), Punta Arena (25-20 miles), and Cabo Pulmo (12-15 miles).

East Cape Striped Marlin were a bit more prevalent with anglers reporting a bit more success to the north off Punta Pescadero (20-28 miles), straight off Los Barriles (10 and 28-30 miles), and to the south off La Ribera (4-10 miles).

As for Sailfish, they continue to top the billfish counts with anglers having some fun to the north off Punta Pescadero (20-25 miles) and Los Relices (12-15 miles), straight off Los Barriles (23-27 miles), and to the south off La Ribera (10-15 miles), Punta Arena (28-30 miles), and El Faro (38 miles). As usual, East Cape anglers had success landing billfish with mackerel and various lures.

The Dorado overall catch rate is a consistent 62% approximately. Most fish are in the 25-30 lb. class with some 15-20 pounders and some 35-40 pounders mixed in as well. Anglers are reporting some fun to the north off Punta Pescadero at the shark buoy stops, as well as to the south between the waters Rancho Leonero (1/4 mile), La Ribera (1/4 mile), Punta Arena (1/4 mile), Los Cerritos (1-3 miles), Las Tachuelas (2 miles), and Los Meganos Blancos (1/4 mile). So, for the most part, they're still hanging out real close in to shore, which is never a bad thing. East Cape anglers reported success with mackerel, sardines, and lures of various shapes, colors and sizes.

Anglers continue to have some serious fun catching Yellowfin. Despite the fact that the overall catch rate fell a bit to approximately 62%, that still means there are plenty of Tuna being landed. Most fish are in the 25-30 lb. class but there are definitely some toads and semi-toads coming in currently. Anglers reported success to the north off Punta Pescadero (25-30 miles), straight off Los Barriles (45-48 miles), and to the south between La Ribera (4-10 miles), Punta Arena (10-14 miles), Los Cerritos (7-9 miles), and Las Tachuelas (1-2 miles). So, much like their counterparts, the Dodo, the Yellowfin are hanging out somewhat close to shore. Predictably, mackerel, sardines, hoochies and cedar plugs were once again the drugs of choice among the pelagic species known as Yellowfinus Tunacomidas.