A RED-LETTER FISHING DAY FOR STRIPED MARLIN AT EAST CAPE

April 9, 2005, Jorge Bergen, La Ribera, East Cape, Baja California Sur, Mexico:

Our town power went off about 4 a.m. and just came back on. The radio says the striped marlin action is still hot and heavy. Yesterday all the gringo boats were on the air with hookups all over the area, on macarela and lures.

Tuesday was a red-letter fishing day at East Cape if there ever was one. I've fished the Sea of Cortez for over 30 years and this was a first for me and, per the radio chatter from the other boats in the area, perhaps lots of other fishermen.

The day started calm, water about 73 degrees, clear skies, about 68 nice air degrees.

After 40 or more local East Cape sportfishing boats, mostly charter cruisers from our fishing resorts, either bought or caught bait tanks full of macarela, foot long Pacific mackerel, shortly after first light, they all grouped up in an area roughly 5 miles off our beach here at La Ribera.

A recent cold water swell in the East Cape sportfishing area has brought in lots of bait from the Pacific side of the tip of the peninsula, squid, mackerel and red pelagic crabs or longostina.

Striped marlin in huge schools were seen feeding on the surface. The action looked like big, big tuna but the sea was a froth with bills and tails of 150 pound mature marlin chasing bait everywhere. They were greyhounding, tail walking and feeding in every quarter of the compass in an area about half-a-mile across.

All the East Cape deckhands were busy baiting hooks, fly lining until the fish bit, setting hooks and handing the rods to fishermen clients. With all the surface action, and that many boats in a very small circle, it was impossible to tell how many fish were hooked up, brought to the boat or lost in the fight. At one time I counted 25 big rods each bent over with a striped marlin, and doubles, triples and panic everywhere.

The action lasted from just after first light until about 11 so my guess is that hundreds of fish were caught and released. Many times during the hectic morning, excited East Cape fishermen did not know whose dancing fish was whose until they were able to gain some control, and motor slowly away from the throng of boats to fight the fish.

The captain of the boat I was fishing on got in the water late, 1 1/2 hours after sunup, so we could not find bait. We bought a few live baits from local bait guys when the surface action was already 3 hours old. We finally hooked a nice striper but on a bottom rig, 30-pound Spectra line on a small reel and small boat rod. I fought the fish, belly wrapped, for 3 hours until we touched the leader. One tug broke the leader where it had been rubbing the fin, mouth, and tail for those same tough 180 minutes.

By noon, the north wind had picked up at East Cape and the sea was capping with 4 footers. We fought our way back through the big waves and got safely back to the beach. I had sore hands, a deeper tan and a big grin.

The big wind stayed overnight, is still blowing now and while I'm still wearing the grin, it now seems so surreal I'm second-guessing myself about all the rare sights and sounds of the day's unusual school-up. As concerns the catch and release fishing rules, I know I did my part.