SLOW BAJA FISHING TRIP TO EAST CAPE

July 24, 2006, George Carter, Baja California Sur, East Cape, Mexico:

I just returned from my 44th annual fishing trip to East Cape's Rancho Buena Vista on Sunday. What a horrible trip. The water temperature is 90 degrees. The fish have moved or gone to their favorite thermo.

Rancho Buena Vista was great. But the people at the Ranch said this was the worst July in years.

We fished 5 days. Some of us were blanked 2 days, and we are very experienced in Baja. We had all the big boats at the Ranch. The top captains. East Cape weather was great, hot, no wind until Saturday and I understand that on Sunday a storm hit Cabo San Lucas.

It was a complete failure as far as fishing. If you wanted small tuna, skippies and bonito go for it.

North towards Isla Cerralvo was dry. Many East Cape sportfishing boats tried and came back blanko from all the resorts. The only biters were roosterfish which I enjoy. We caught two wahoo, one on a cigar and 1 on a hoochy. No wire, just luck.

The tuna are 10-14 pounds close to shore. Bonita and skippies are mixed in. Marlin are scarce. There are no sailfish or any dorado but 5-9 pounders around La Ribera.

Roosterfish are at the lighthouse and Los Frailes deep.

Wahoo were caught this side of San Jose del Cabo.

We caught one blue marlin, 352 pounds, for the week, and a few striped marlin around 100 pounds.

This wind started on Saturday which will only make the trolling miserable. All in all the fishing for all the East Cape resorts was terrible for any fish of any size.

(See "Mexico Fishing News" online for current fishing reports, photos, weather, and water temperatures from East Cape and other major Mexican sportfishing areas. Vacation travel articles, fishing maps and seasonal calendars, and fishing related information for East Cape may be found at Mexfish.com's main East Cape page.