Tuna are jumping for fishing boats at San Jose del Cabo's Gordo Banks

Mexico Fishing News, August 13, 2000

SAN JOSE DEL CABO (LOS CABOS) FISHING REPORTS

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SAN JOSE DEL CABO, MEXICO: GORDO BANKS PANGAS, San Jose del Cabo, August 13, 2000, Eric Brictson. This week was very similar to last, being that the weather was hot, humid, with occasional cloud cover and that the ocean conditions were mostly calm, with the exception of Saturday when the surf did pick up and kept the panga fleets on the beach, this due to the passing of tropical storm Hector.

The big excitement continued to be for the yellowfin tuna on the Gordo Banks, along with the tuna there were also dorado and marlin being hooked up. The water had been greenish but in recent days it has really cleaned up and is now mostly blue on the offshore fishing grounds, it is also almost as warm as a bath tub, averaging 82 to 85 degrees.

The supplies of live sardinas off of the beach of La Playita continued to be healthy, although on some days anglers had to have some patience and wait for the commercial pangeros to net enough bait for all the boats that were heading out to target the yellowfin tuna. Wide open was the word being used to describe the bite that was happening on the Gordo Banks for the tuna, large schools of the yellowfin tuna appeared on the Banks and could be seen feeding on the surface in all directions, quite a frenzy too, jumping clear of the water, like torpedoes and there were bent rods everywhere, as all of the boats were getting into the hot action. The tuna were averaging about 40 pounds, with fish to over 60 pounds being landed, individual boats were taking anywhere from 4 to 12 of the tuna each morning.

The fish were not very line shy either, striking the heavier lines almost as well as the lighter, most anglers were using at least 40 pound tackle and the more serious anglers were opting to use heavier 80 pound tackle, for the better chance at landing the larger fish. Along with the live sardinas the tuna were also hitting on chunk bait ( skipjack ), cast iron jigs and even larger whole baits, like bolito or small skipjack. Many of the larger fish were now preferring the chunk bait, and this could be a good sign that the next couple of months might be similar to how it was last summer, when the tuna bite on the Gordo Banks was the best in recent memory. The dorado were having a tough time competing with the aggressive bite of the tuna but still were being taken in good numbers, mostly smaller fish, averaging about 10 pounds, with boats landing from 2 to 6 per day. They were hitting both on the bait and trolled lures. With the water now turning blue the bite should continue to be hot for the schooling dorado, and especially if you can find any sort of floating debris. After going through a very slow period of just an occasional hook up being reported, the billfish did become more active, as they usually do in the days nearing the full moon. Several nice black marlin were accounted for, by both the pangas and the cruisers, these fish were taken on larger trolled baits around the Gordo Banks, weighing in the 200 to 300 pound class. With the abundance of life now on the Banks and now that the water is clearing it should be very good in the coming days, as long as the weather cooperates. Good Fishing. Reservations 800-408-1199; Fax 619-447-4098; 011-52-114-21147.

In other mainland Mexico and Baja fishing action this week:

ENSENADA FISHING REPORTS

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ENSENADA, MEXICO: SERGIO'S ENSENADA SPORTFISHING CENTER, week ending August 13, Sergio Susarrey. Finally after two months of struggle the albacore fishing exploded at the nearby outer banks(15 to 25 miles of Todos Santos Island). Saturday(8/12/00) two boats departed from our marina to fish the banks. These were the ENSENADA CLIPPER 85' which took on a group of 30 anglers and the other the charter boat EL CAZADOR which took a group of 15 anglers. The first boat that made it back to our marina the ENSENADA CLIPPER had the following count: 65 albacore in the 25 to 35 pound class, 5 dorado in the 15 to 25 pound class and also 10 yellowtail in the 15 to 20 pound class. The EL CAZADOR returned with a total catch of 120 albacore, 10 dorado and 10 yellowtail. This is the best catch so far of the season. Over the week there were more trips that fished the outer banks. They all returned with great catches of albacore, dorado and yellowtail. During the week the boats picked up bluefin tuna in the 30 to 40 pound range. The local fishing at Todos Santos Bay got better this past week with greater amounts of big bonito caught from large schools of breaking fish which were found from Punta Banda all the way to the north point of Todos Santos Island. Also the yellowtail fishing made a comeback on Thursday(08/10/00). The open party boat SHIR LEE found an excellent bite of yellows at Three Sisters. Hopefully the yellowtail bite will get better here at Todos Santos Bay. The barracuda and the bass fishing continues to be good if this is what you are looking for. Reservations Tel 011-52-617-82185; U.S. Rep 800-336-5454.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 19, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Yesterday, one angler and two crew caught 17 yellowfin tuna and 31 yellows. Today, the Tamara, with 6 anglers, caught 16 yellowfin tuna, 23 yellows, 1 dorado, and 2 albacore to 25 pounds. Today, the Amigo fished with 4 anglers and caught 25 yellowfin tuna 12-15 pounds, dorado to 10 pound, 16 yellowtail, and two albies to 25 pounds. The fishing is 12 miles outside North Todos Santos Island. Beautiful weather, flat and calm. Nice sardines for bait. Most of the fish hit in kelp paddies and trolling for tuna with Mexican flag and purple and red Zukers. Water temperature 70. Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 17, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Today was good, too. Three anglers on the Tamara fished at GPS 31.38 117.00 and 31.36 116.59. We got 5 ablies 30-35 pounds, 11 yellowfin tunas 15-20 pounds; 31 yellows 12-15 pounds. All fish caught at kelp paddies on greenback sardines, 2/0 hooks, black. Water temperature was 69.6 degrees. Ocean is flatttt... Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 16, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Holaaaaa, Gene. Today was the best day of the year. We had 2 anglers fishing on the Tamara. We caught 27 yellowfin tuna 15-20 pounds, 23 yellowtail 12-15 pounds, 2 dorado to 12 pounds. A lot of fish hit trolling, some bait. Water temperature 70 degrees. Still flat and calm like a toritilla. We fished 15 miles out from South Todos Santos Island on a heading of 235 degrees. Live bait is 4-inch sardines. Best colors for trolling, black, green and red. Feathers. We're going out tonight. Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 13, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Today the Amigo fished with 7 anglers aboard at GPS numbers 31.38 117.03. We got 22 dorados 12-15 pounds, 14 albies 30-35 pounds, 1 yellowfin tuna 20 pounds, and 16 yellows 12-15 pounds. We got these fish at 235 degrees from Todos Santos Island, 30 miles out from Marina Coral. The water temperature was 70.3 degrees. Most of the fish were caught at kelp paddies. The albacore hit trolled jet heads, purple and black; also Rapalas in dorado colors. The sea was flat and calm like a tortilla. We have nice sardines, 4 inches. Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

ENSENADA, MEXICO: LILY FLEET, Ensenada, August 15, 2000, Sammy Susarrey. Today, the Tamara fished with five anglers aboard at GPS 31.41 117.01. We caught 16 dorados 12-15 pounds, 5 yellows 12-15 pounds, and 4 bluefin tuna to 20 pounds. All fish were found at kelp paddies. We used live sardines and mackerels, on #2 hooks and clear line. Water temperature, 70. Ocean conditions flat and calm. Some fish were found 12 miles out from Todos Santos Island on a heading of 253 degrees. Reservations Tel/Fax, 5 to 9 p.m., 011-52-617-46747; Cell 011-52-618-67485.

PUERTO SANTO TOMAS FISHING REPORTS

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PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, MEXICO: PUERTO SANTO TOMAS, August 15, 2000, Sam Saenz. Hi Gene: Everything is fine, I just got into Ensenada from Puerto Santo Tomas. This is the fishing report for the week: 1. Weather on the warm side with ocean breezes making the evenings with a full moon beautiful. 2. The wind has died down all last week, with some fog rolling in during the mornings. 3. Lots of bait and mackeral on the water but, very few surface bites. They caught a nice size salmon this weekend while trolling. Out of three pangas that was the only surface action reported. Apparently the water currents are still cold. 4. The good news is that the bottom fishing has been real good around the reef and around the Islote. Most all boats brought full sacks. Reservations Tel 714-256-2577; Ensenada 011-526-174-5683; Remote Santo Tomas Cell 011-52-617-13364, after 6 p.m. or 6:30-7:00 a.m.

MAGDALENA BAY FISHING REPORTS

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MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: BAJA ON THE FLY, San Carlos, August 19, 2000, Gary Graham. Temperatures: 82-degree high; Low 70. Partly cloudy with light winds in the afternoon. Water temperature: 73 - 68 degrees in the mangroves and 68 offshore. STRIPED MARLIN - Commercial fisherman spotting marlin almost every day near Thetis Bank. DORADO - Good action a few miles offshore outside the entrance to Santa Maria Bay. TUNA - Few smaller fish caught this week. SIERRA - As the water warms up, the fishing for this species has slowed down. CORVINA - Good catches at Devils Curve. SNOOK -Fair catches of smaller fish and a few larger ones lost. YELLOWTAIL - Some surface action early in the week near the entrance. QUICK COMMENT - Offshore reports seem to improve each week. We have several clients fishing up in the mangroves this weekend and conditions look promising. Reservations Tel 800-919-2252; Fax 760-746-7260; bajafly@aol.com.

MAGDALENA BAY, MEXICO: BAJA ON THE FLY, San Carlos, August 16, 2000, Gary Graham. Temperatures: 82-degree high; Low 70. Partly cloudy with light winds in the afternoon. Water temperature: 73 - 68 degrees in the mangroves and 68 offshore. STRIPED MARLIN - Several yachts traveling along the coast caught several. DORADO - Good action outside the entrance to Santa Maria Bay. TUNA - Few smaller fish caught this week. SIERRA - Only a few caught this week. CORVINA - Good catches at Devils Curve. SNOOK -Lots of smaller fish caught along with one twenty pound fish. YELLOWTAIL - Some surface action early in the week near the entrance. QUICK COMMENT - Several yachts traveling down the coast stopped for fuel at Puerto San Carlos and reported good marlin, dorado and tuna fishing out in front of the Entrada. Several anglers fishing at Devils Curve caught snook, corvina and some good sized pargo using a chartreuse Baja Deep Diver. Tied with chartreuse angel hair over white bucktail, white hackle and plenty of pearl mirage flash on a 413-3/0 Eagle Claw hook. Reservations Tel 800-919-2252; Fax 760-746-7260; bajafly@aol.com.

CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORTS

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CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: FLY HOOKER SPORT FISHING, Cabo San Lucas, August 13, 2000, Capt. George & Mary Landrum. WEATHER: It's been a typical Cabo summer this week. Temperatures in the mid to high 90's daytime and high 80's to low 90's at night with the humidity staying between 60 and 75%. There has been at least a light breeze all week providing some comfort and for those out on the water fishing it has not been to bad. Cloud cover on Friday and Saturday as tropical depression 10E passed south of us heading west gave a break from the sun and allowed us to feel cool. No rain here in Cabo from those clouds but there were some showers to the north of us on the Sea of Cortez side.

WATER: Hot is the word here and the temperatures almost everywhere have been in the high 80's to low 90's, with the majority of the really hot water up the Sea of Cortez. The only break was on the banks, just like last week when the underwater currents pushed up the cooler water and close to shore where the same thing happened. Tropical depression 10E caused some good-sized swells but there was no really choppy water this week.

BAIT: Cavallito at $2 per bait and sardines available at $25 per scoop.

MARLIN: The moon phase has been the reason for the decline in Marlin hookups this week, at least that is what we all believe. The Striped Marlin have been scarce and those that have been found have not been too interested in eating. The strikes from Blue Marlin have dropped off but there are some nice sized fish out there, they just don't want to hit just yet. Hopefully as the moon goes past full on the 15th the bite will improve. The bright spot on the Billfish scene has been the abundance of Sailfish. We don't get the numbers that are found elsewhere in Mexico but compared to the normal availability here we have been having a real run. About 40% of the boats are finding Sails and the sizes are good, most between 50-100 pounds.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: This has been the bright spot again this week! There have been nice sized 50-100 pound tuna caught every day this week but you had to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. Early in the week, actually up until Saturday, they were on the Pacific side or due south, both directions from 6 to 22 miles out and mixed with the porpoise. If you were on the first few boats to the school you stood a good chance of hooking up and if you were late you needed to be patient and keep your fingers crossed. These fish have been feeding on the abundant bait there and it takes patience, specially when you see them busting the surface, you pull a bait right through and they won't bite. A few of the boats had good luck with sardines, chumming a few and dropping hooked ones back. These baits seemed to catch well and the cavallito worked if there were not too many boats around. There were smaller fish, football sized being caught closer to shore, from a mile to 2 miles out.

DORADO: Most of the Dorado that were caught were found near shore and were medium sized, between 10 and 25 pounds. A few boats were catching multiples on live bait and those using lures found a few singles. The best bite was off of the Pacific lighthouse to the Arches.

WAHOO: ??????? A couple were reported for all the bank areas and a few open water strikes ended up in cutoffs, but there still hasn't been a surge of fish showing up.

INSHORE: Dorado and Bonito have been providing action close in for the pangas and the cruisers wanting to try something different. There have also been some football tuna caught there. Surfcasting from the beach on the Pacific side has resulted in some very nice Roosterfish between 30 and 60 pounds and reports of two possible word records on Jack Crevalle, caught on 12lb. and 20lb. line. Reservations Tel 011-52-117-01271; 011-52-114-87452.

AUGUST 8TH: Jason and Jennifer Hart booked two days of fishing on the "Fly Hooker" and are looking forward to going home with a cooler full of fish; Jennifer loves to eat fish! Mary and myself sent the boat off this morning and we met it on its return to get the story. It appears that they ran into a school of tuna fairly early in the trip and had a double strike. Jennifer did not get a chance to take any video since she had to reel in a fish also. Some fine Sashimi quality Tuna were quickly in the box and they continued on in search of more fish. Shortly after that a very nice Sailfish of 120 pounds tried to eat a lure but would not hook up. Juan tossed out a live bait but the Sailfish showed no interest in that either so he brought the bait back to the boat, killed it and tossed it back out. That did the trick it appeared, as the sailfish found the bait and ate it! The fight was about an hour long and Jennifer was able to capture it on video! We congratulated them on their return and we will have to see what happens on their trip tomorrow!

AUGUST 9TH: Jason and Jennifer Hart are aboard the "Fly Hooker" for their second day of Cabo fishing. The hope is for more fish to take home and they are underway by 6:15. The results for the day's fishing are not good, as the only fish caught by them is a Sailfish of about 40-60 pounds.

Slow fishing for today but at least there was some action. We are glad you enjoyed the boat and crew and look forward to having you come back again! Until then, Tight Lines from George, Mary, Juan, and Manuel, the "Fly Hooker" crew. P.S. It was either today or yesterday when a large Blue Marlin estimated at 400 pounds struck a small tuna feather on the short line and spooled the reel!

CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO: PICANTE FLEET, Cabo San Lucas, August 18, 2000, Marco Arechiga. Tropical Storm "Ileana" brought warm water currents and Sailfish came along with it. Fish available: Striped Marlin, Blue Marlin, Sailfish & Tuna. Water Temperature: Approximately 82-86 F. Air temperature: hi 95 / low 79. Humidity: 68 %. Wind: 6-7 Knots per hr. Pacific; 6-7 Knots per hr. Sea of Cortes. Yesterday's Luckiest: "Knot 2 Worry" 35' CABO; Captain: Jesus Zenteno; Angler: Del'lartino; Production: 3 Sailfish 80, 95, 110 lbs. ( all released , 1 Dorado 20 lbs. Hot Spots: 4-6 miles off the Lighthouse ( Pacific ). Fleet Production (5 boats): 1 Blue Marlin, 3 Dorado, 4 Tuna & 9 Sailfish. Reservations Tel 011-52-114-32474; Fax 011-52-114-35969.

EAST CAPE FISHING REPORTS

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EAST CAPE, MEXICO: BAJA ON THE FLY, Buena Vista, August 19, 2000, Gary Graham. Temperatures: High 104 with a low of 79; Humidity = 85%. Partly Cloudy skies with some wind in afternoon. Water temperature: 80-90. STRIPED MARLIN - Seems to be more fish showing now. BLUE MARLIN - Mostly larger fish. SAILFISH - A few mixed in with the tuna. YELLOWFIN TUNA - Punta Pescadero and La Ribera both producing great catches. DORADO - Fair catches mixed in with the tuna and also closer to shore. ROOSTERFISH - Plenty of smaller fish at Scott Glenn's house and also at Punta Colorado. JACK CREVALLE - Only a few smaller fish caught this week. BARRILLETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - A few mixed in with the tuna. PARGO AND CABRILLA - Only a few caught off of La Ribera. OFFSHORE: Most of the fleet begins with the tuna in the morning and then goes further offshore prospecting for dorado and billfish. INSHORE: Yellowfin tuna, skipjack, and dorado continue to provide great action only a few miles off the beach. BEACH: Punta Colorado provided excellent action from the pontoon. Fishing from the shore also proved fair action for roosters. QUICK COMMENT: After the wind on Tues. caused by Ileana, fishing picked up where it left off. David Pauley, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and several friends had a great day on one of our cruisers, The Eclipse on Thurs., racking up an impressive 10 tuna, 1 sierra, 1 rooster, 1 needlefish and 1 dorado all caught on the fly. The hot tuna fly was a Glenn Starr Saltwater Minnow Clouser tied with peacock and white angel-Hair on a #2 hook. So far, all of the groups we have had down have experienced similar fishing. Aug. has once again came through as one of our finest months. Reservations Tel 800-919-2252; Fax 760-746-7260.

EAST CAPE, MEXICO: BAJA ON THE FLY, Buena Vista, August 16, 2000, Gary Graham. Temperatures: High 104 with a low of 79; Humidity = 74%. Partly Cloudy skies with strong winds on Tuesday. Water temperature: 80-90. STRIPED MARLIN - Has finally began to pick up. BLUE MARLIN - Larger fish dominating the catch. SAILFISH - Not being seen in any numbers to speak off. YELLOWFIN TUNA - Punta Pescadero and La Ribera both producing good catches. DORADO - Good catches mixed in with the tuna and also closer to shore. ROOSTERFISH - Plenty of smaller fish at Scott Glenn's house and also at Punta Colorada. JACK CREVALLE - Only a few smaller fish caught this week. BARRILLETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - Plenty of schools seen a few miles offshore at Punta Pescadero and La Ribera. PARGO AND CABRILLA - Fair catches in front of Punta Colorado. OFFSHORE: Very few boats targeting billfish so it is hard to tell how good it really is. INSHORE: Yellowfin tuna, skipjack, and dorado continue to provide great action only a few miles off the beach. BEACH: Punta Colorada provided excellent action from the pontoon. Fishing from the shore also proved fair action for roosters. QUICK COMMENT: John Bridges, Salt Lake along with his family went back out on the pontoon Monday and had another impressive day with several tuna and a rooster for every member of the family. Richard Stull, Seattle Wa, had this to say about his recent trip: "As you are aware, I have been a tropical saltwater fly angler for well over twenty years, and a saltwater fly angler much longer than that. Rarely have I seen an area with such diverse fisheries/game fish species". Tuesday, Ileana the latest hurricane came close to Cabo San Lucas and produced strong winds here for the day. Wednesday morning everything appears to be back to normal and I am on my way out on the Pontoon boat. Reservations Tel 800-919-2252; Fax 760-746-7260.

LA PAZ FISHING REPORTS

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LA PAZ, MEXICO: FISHERMEN'S FLEET, Hotel Los Arcos, La Paz, August 16, 2000, David Jones. A week with a little more weather, and a few more characters has kept things from being at all routine down here in Paradise South. We began the week with the 3B's led by Bill Sherman out of SoCal. These 3 guys always have a good time down here, but this time they did particularly well on Tuna, and had some nice Dorado as well. The Dorado action has shifted into the Cerralvo Island channel, with the buoys there holding some fish to 45 pounds. Some days the bite has been early, some days late, you just have to keep making the rounds until they find you. Walt Zimmerlin and his group were down courtesy of Harry Gualco's Rod and Reel Adventures Agency and did very well on Dorado and Tuna as well. In every group someone has to show off and Hugh Smith did just that in Walt's group. A nice Pargo and a 20 kilo Roosterfish rounded out Hugh's catch, just to show that other species are around. In that vein one of Mr. Halcovich's group, a young man no more than 11 or 12 years old I'd guess, caught an 80 pound Wahoo early in the week. Mr. Halcovich was directed to us by Lynn Rose Travel, and that young man was a happy camper. This is the first Wahoo we've seen in a long time, and while I don't believe that it signals the start of anything special, it was none the less a "Fish of the Week" contender. Joe Sandor, his son Chris and a couple of their friends were down from Phoenix and did very well on Tuna and Dorado. The Tuna have been holding both at the south point of Cerralvo, and just a mile west of the Punta Arena light. This has been most convenient as there have been a couple of days this week when distant Tropical Storms have thrown some swells and wind our way. Nothing horrible, but they do limit mobility, and having those Tuna right out in front, and the Dorado in the channel, has worked out very well. Brandy and Barney Brookbank came down from San Jose to sample the fishing and cultural events, and did a little better on the fishing. Dorado and Tuna once again had Mr. Brookbank's ice chest bulging (well not quite, but close). And winning this week's award for Traveled the Furthest, Bobby Lee, his dad and two brothers came down from Huntsville, Alabama. These guys have fished in Guatemala and Venezuela and now La Paz. They are seasoned traveler's and proved themselves accomplished fishermen by taking a mess of Yellowfin and some nice Dorados (or Dolphin as they are called back east) back to Huntsville. It seems as though the nicest guys always do the best on the fishing, but then all of our customers are nice guys, and gals. That about does it for now, just one last question, which one of those two guys are you gonna end up voting for? Enough said, Have Fun. Reservations 011-52-112-21313; Fax 011-52-112-57334.

LORETO FISHING REPORTS

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LORETO, MEXICO: VILLAS DE LORETO, August 18, Erin Cassandra. Hi Gene, Fishing is still the best it has been in years here in Loreto. Dorado are still schooling around the pangas like crazy. The fish are a bit smaller than earlier in the summer, but they are still a fair size (around 25-30 lbs). Weather was a bit windy and stormy which made for rough seas for the past few days, but things are normal again now. Reservations Tel/Fax 011-52-113-50586.

LORETO, MEXICO: CHILI PUNTA FLEET, Loreto, August 16, 2000, John "Bubba" Parker and Fishmanmark. Not much different from last week except the location has changed. They are on the North side of San Bruno about 20 miles from Coronado Island. Punta Lobos is holding lots of Sailfish but very few Dorado. The size of the Dorado will get up to 40 pounds if you can keep the 12 to 25 pounders off. The Sailfish are holding at 90 to 125 pounds. Live bait, dead bait, strip bait and squid are still working the best. Feathers will also produce fish. The weather has been perfect, no clouds no wind. About the only thing that you could ask for is to cool down a little. Still hot and humid here. Until next week tight line everyone. Tel 925-449-4554; Fax 925-456-2252.

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