DORADO FISHING VERY SLOW FOR EAST CAPE VACATION HOTEL FLEETS

May 27-June 2, 2005, Chris Moyers, East Cape Smoke House, East Cape fishing, Mexico:

Charters 430. Anglers 1,256. Total Fish 831. Fish/Charter 1.93. Fish/Angler .66. Catch including released fish: Striped Marlin 159. Dorado 77. Yellowfin Tuna 565. Wahoo 2. Roosterfish 28. Water Temperature 68-80. Air Temperature 94-62. Seas Fri-Thurs calm all day.

East Cape has yet to really break out of our fishing doldrums. The billfish bite fell off a bit and dorado fishing has been virtually nonexistent.

There has been quite a bit of squid in the water at East Cape, so it's been tougher finding hungry fish.

The silver lining was that the East Cape Yellowfin Tuna bite remained pretty consistent. Some Tuna were being landed close in.

The East Cape vacation area is still seeing water temperatures in the 68-80 degree range. Air temperatures are still a pretty mild with a 62-94 range. The moon was at last quarter as of May 31st so we're waning towards new. Let's hope that bodes well for the fishing at East Cape. Bait-wise, East Cape has ballyhoo, scattered sardines, and a few jurelitos.

The billfish bite was pretty marginal over the past week, comprised solely of Striped Marlin with an overall catch rate down to about 13%. Anglers reported limited action to the north off Punta Pescadero, 4-8 miles; vicinity of the shark buoy stops, in the vicinity of the 88, the southern tip of Isla Cerralvo, and Punta Perico, 3-4 miles. To the south, some action was reported between the waters of La Ribera, 4-8 miles, Los Cerritos, 10-12 miles, Cabo Pulmo, 5-6 miles, and Los Frailes, 10-12 miles. Limited East Cape fishing action also occurred straight off Los Barriles, 17-20 miles. Ballyhoo and lures did the trick there.

East Cape Dorado fishing has been pretty dismal over the past week. Those few anglers fortunate enough to have found any Dodo reported their landings to the north off Cerro Verde, 4-5 miles, Punta Pescadero at the shark buoy stops, as well as off the southern tip of Isla Cerralvo, 3-7 miles, and to the south off Rancho Leonero, 10-13 miles, La Ribera, 3-4 miles, and Los Cerritos, 4-6 miles. Hoochies and limited sardines reportedly did the trick there.

The Yellowfin bite was the saving grace this past week at East Cape. The bite remained pretty consistent with an overall catch rate of about 45%. Anglers were reporting some schools really close in, 2-3 miles, in some locales. Also reported was the fact that it was sometimes tough getting them to bite, they simply weren't hungry. Anglers reported action to the north off Cerro Verde, 4-5 miles, Punta Pescadero, 15-18 miles, as well as out towards Isla Cerralvo. East Cape anglers also reported success straight off Los Barriles, 2-20 miles, as well as to the south off Rancho Leonero, 2-20 miles, and La Ribera, 4-8 miles, and Punta Arena, 8-10 miles. They're a lot closer in than they've been recently so we'll look for some nice numbers coming in here real soon. Cedar plugs, limited sardines and jurelitos, and various lures did the trick there.

Rounding out the report were 28 roosterfish landed inshore at Rancho Leonero, and 2 Wahoo landed off Isla Cerralvo to the north and Cabo Pulmo, 8 miles to the south.