FEBRUARY FISHING PROMISING FOR SAILFISH IN BLUE WATER 1 MILE OUT

Feb. 11, 2005, Ed Kunze, Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Mexico Fishing Report:

The blue water fishing is only a mile off the beach at Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, and the sailfish action has been very good. Historically, February is one of our very best months. But the last three years has seen a 150-boat kill tournament at the end of January, and unseasonable cool water moving in about the 2nd week, essentially shutting everything down. This year, we were able to eliminate the kill tournament, which is another story, and the current has cooperated.

Jim Rainey of Denver, CO, fished with Captain Cheva on the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo sportfishing baot Dos Hermanos II earlier in the week, and released 8 sailfish on conventional gear. The next day, Cheva went back out to the same spot and released 10.

While guiding Tim Martin and Russ Coleman of Houston, TX, with Cheva today (Friday), we raised 1 blue marlin and 6 sails. We were fly fishing with only two hookless teasers out. Russ hooked two sailfish, and missed one. We backed the missed fish up with a live bait, a circle hook, 30 pound gear, and shortly Tim had his first ever sailfish released. With nothing on the boat other than fly rods or 30 pound gear, we did not even try for the marlin.

Captain Santiago, on the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo charter panga Gitana, is averaging about 5 tagged and released sailfish a day, for this last 7 days. And, for some interesting competition, his brother Adan, on the new Gitana II, is doing exactly the same.

The blue marlin are finally showing up in decent numbers off Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. The 38 foot cruiser Yellowfin II has raised 5 marlin in three days, and hooked one. The released fish was estimated at about 250 pounds.

I want to thank David Holts, of the NOAA in La Jolla, for sending me another 250 tags for tagging and releasing the billfish. I distribute them to all the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo captains. Please, when you come down here to fish at Zihuatanejo, bring some of The Billfish Foundation or NOAA tags with you. E-mail me if you need instructions on how to get them, edkunze@prodigy.net.mx.

I may have to eat a few words I have said in the last couple of weekly fish reports. I thought the roosterfish, in catchable numbers, were out of here, at least until their appearance again in July. Adolpho, on the panga Dos Hermanos, fishing with a client from England, caught 18 jack crevalle and 6 roosters yesterday (Thursday). They got the roosters on poppers and slow trolled live bait while fishing near the antennas location, 26 miles south of Zihuatanejo. Today, Martin on the panga Isamar, went 15 miles north of Zihuatanejo and hooked 4 nice roosters on live bait. All the roosters were in the 30 to 40 pound class.

Inshore, several nice sierra to 8 pounds have been taken.

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