MARLIN AND TUNA CRUISER FISHING OUT OF PALMAS DE CORTEZ

Aug. 4-7, 2006, Gary Furness, Palmas de Cortez, East Cape, Baja California, Mexico:

I had a great time at East Cape's Hotel Palmas de Cortez. I fished August 4-7 on the charter cruiser Maria 2 and August 5 on the Kalua. The crew of the Kalua couldn't have cared less about working to catch fish. The 3 days on the Maria 2 were great.

We caught and released 10 stripers, 25 yellowfin tuna up to 35 pounds (the tuna were waayyyy south), and 3 dorado to 25 pounds.

East Cape fishing water was about 90 degrees. The weather was calm for 3 of 4 days. Bait was easy to get. There were sailfish caught, but we never saw any. The sailfish were scattered, picked up by the boats ranging north and west. Blue marlin were scarce.

A couple of boats ventured into the "outside," and most of them missed. Boats were skunked daily. Justin Caron was on only his second baja trip and did very well. We split the marlin catches.

The lure which attracted almost all the striped marlin that we were able to bait-and-switch was a plain jet-head running back about the 7th wave.

The East Cape bait panga's had a good supply of mackerel. Sometimes there was a short wait for sardinas being made along the beach south of Spa Buena Vista.

The hot striped marlin bite was from the lighthouse south, all the way to Cabo Pulmo. The action ranged from less than a half mile to 5 miles offshore. The only consistent yellowfin tuna bite was 2-3 miles offshore, way south of Pulmo, and usually not under the porpoise.

(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.