FISHING BOAT MATADOR SCORES FOUR MARLIN HOOKUPS OFF ENSENADA

Aug. 21, 2005, Emerald Argonza, Matador Sportfishing, Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico:

I had a fishing trip out of Ensenada yesterday Aug. 19th with 8 anglers, mostly from San Francisco, and did a tuna run.

We started trolling at around 6 a.m., 10 miles south of the Ensenada 238 spot and worked our way down to the lower 500 spot, and that's when we finally hooked up a marlin around 9 a.m.

The fishing water temperature was 69.5 degrees and the marlin hit a Mean Joe Green feather. It took four guys taking turns on the rod but the fight only lasted 40 minutes.

We then started trolling again at 10 a.m. and got another marlin hookup but lost the fish. We then continued trolling and worked a kelp paddy about 5 miles southeast of lower 500 spot, and that's when angler Gary Griffin of La Bufadora hooked up a 30 pound yellowtail that took an Ironman jig.

We then continued fishing towards the peanut spot when we hooked up another marlin and landed it, but was released.

We had a total of 4 marlin hookups, loosing 2, releasing 1 that weighed at least 90 lbs., and kept 1 that weighed 116 lbs. at the Coral Marina weighing scale in Ensenada, and confirmed by Fito the dock master.

The wind picked up a bit after 1 p.m. and that made for a little rough ride heading home to Ensenada, but the water was clean and warm at 69 to 70 degrees all over the place.

Yellowtail and dorado's are in the Ensenada fishing area but still seem to be a bit shy for some reason.