HUNGRY WHITE BONITO SCHOOLS FOUND BY EAST CAPE FLY FISHERS

Oct. 16-22, 2004, Gary Graham, Baja On The Fly, East Cape, Baja fishing fishing, Mexico:

The Jared Hannah group from Covina, Calif. found some ravenous schools of feeding white bonito that were eager to eat flies. Then found a very nice sailfish that wanted to play. Their second East Cape fishing day was slow in the morning, but finished up with a ripper in front of the hotel for schoolie dorado and skipjack. Their last half day yielded a nice rooster.

Greg Sheilds, from Chicago, got a late start for his pontoon trip, but found plenty of action at the East Cape receivers in front of La Ribera. The action included fly-hungry sierra, jacks, and some quality roosterfish busting sardinas around the boat with reckless abandon! The finale was a late bite in front of the hotel for green jacks and one dorado that cruised by.

Baja on the Fly guide Lance Peterson reports that on his day off he began at La Ribera and walked all the way to the end of Bartle’s beach. It was a nonstop steady walk of well over two hours round trip. There was great bait..an unbroken string of finger mullet, small sardina and ballyhoo almost the whole way down. Lance e-mailed us, “There were very few game fish. I had two shots and capitalized on both. The first fish came unbuttoned on me very quickly and the second a cookie cutter replica of the first (10 pound jack) I landed after a very strange fight...he never ran past the length of my fly line. Go figure.”

Dave Cooper, Denver, fishing on the “Mosca” out of East Cape's Buenavista Beach Hotel with captain Mickey reported a killer day including lots of small yellowfin, and few dorado all on cast fly. Then they ran into the beach at La Ribera and added a big pompano plus double digits of ladyfish right in front of my house at La Capilla.

East Cape Water temperature 79-83. Air temperature 72-82. Conditions: Rain Fri. night and Sat. morning.

OFFSHORE: There are some under the porpoise, but tough to get on this week. The tuna seiners that showed up this week didn’t help.

INSHORE: Our clients this week found the best action inshore.

BEACH: Lots of bait; maybe too much.

BILLFISH: A few here and there not enough for the fly rod.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: Mixed reviews, the ones that find them say it is wide open, the ones who don’t, grumble.

DORADO: Schoolies inshore the best bet.

ROOSTERFISH\JACK CREVALLE: Take a hike along the beach and you will find a few to cast to.

BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK: Breezing schools in front of La Ribera.

PARGO AND CABRILLA: A few here and there near the rocky points.

SIERRA: Bring wire or lots of flies!