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| Around 10% of the world's total fish species can be found just within the Great Barrier Reef. |
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| Starfish can re-grow their arms. In fact, a single arm can regenerate a whole body. |
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| Starfish do not have blood. Their blood is actually filtered sea water. |
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| Starfish don't have brains. Special cells on their skin gather information about their surroundings |
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| Not all animals with the word fish in their names count as fish. |
| Though their names may suggest otherwise, cuttlefish, starfish, and jellyfish aren’t actually fish. Generally-speaking, fishes must have skulls, gills, and fins. Surprisingly, though, not all fishes have proper spines. |
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| In three decades, the world's oceans will contain more discarded plastic than fish when measured by weight, researchers say. |
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| As of 2020, there were 34,000 known fish species around world. That’s more than the number of species in all other vertebrates: birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians combined. |
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| Just how man species of fish are there? |
| As of 2020, there were 34,000 known fish species around world. That’s more than the number of species in all other vertebrates: birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians combined. |
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| Even Catfish are finicky |
| Taste Buds ? Catfish have a more refined sense of flavor than humans. Our 10,000 taste buds may seem like a lot, but catfish can have as many as 175,000. This helps them find the exact location of their next meal. |
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| A bit of Humor |
| My brother has 2 German Shepherds named Rolex and Timex. You guessed it they are Watch Dogs. |
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From Jan 01, 1999 To Sep 23, 2025
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Aug 30, 2003; 12:03PM - Giant Squid Follow Ignacio
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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REPORT FROM GARY GRAHAM'S BAJA ON THE FLY:
PROVIDING QUALITY SALTWATER FLY-FISHING 365 DAYS A YEAR IN BAJA FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: bajafly@usa.net; USA toll-free (800) 919-2252; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
Sat., August 30, 2003 Report covers the period Wed.-Fri. (8/27 - 8/29)
EAST CAPE, MAGDALENA BAY AND ZIHUATANEJO CONDITIONS
EAST CAPE, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
IN GENERAL Chubasco Ignacio stirred things up enough for water temperatures to drop 5-6 degrees. The runoff from the rain created some off-color water extending out a few miles from shore. As expected, plenty of debris was dumped into the sea. If you find anything floating at the edge of the dirty water it can be 'Katy Bar the Door' dorado fishing. Offshore, tuna, billfish including sails and stripes seem to be impervious to Chubascos and were waiting for the boats when they finally went back out. If you need evidence of how much the water turned over during the storm, giant squid have shown up again and yep, they will bite a fly. I bet there are not many of you with one of those on your species list.
AIR & SEA -
Water temperature 74°-84°
Air temperature 77° - 88°
Humidity about 83%
Wind NW at 6 mph
Conditions Clear
Visibility 12 miles
Sunrise 7:00 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:38 p.m. MST
August 27 New Sept. 3 First Quarter Sept. 10 Full Sept. 18 Last Quarter
· OFFSHORE: Billfish, tuna, a few dorado and giant squid. What's holding
you back?.
· INSHORE: Ukkk. Dirty water several miles out makes for not perfect conditions,
but it is cleaning up more every day.
· BEACH: Another week and it should be back to normal with Bubba cruising up and down the beach looking for mullet.
BILLFISH - Sails and stripes filled the bill this week with several decent sized blues showing up in the pattern. Are you ready for one of those on the fly? Now is the time!
YELLOWFIN TUNA - Outside La Ribera for footballs and few larger ones mixed in
with the porpoise if you can find them first. Last boat loses.
DORADO - Best results working the color line from Punta Pescadero to Lighthouse.
ROOSTERFISH - They are there, it is tough to see them in dirty water and the few bait schools got broken up by Ignacio.
JACK CREVALLE - Punta Colorada receivers is a good place to start.
BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - They're mixed in with the tuna in front of La
Ribera.
PARGO AND CABRILLA - Wait until the water cleans up a tad.
SIERRA - Dirty water inshore makes it tough.
MAGDALENA BAY, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
Sat., August 30, 2003 Report covers the period Wed.-Fri. (8/27 - 8/29)
IN GENERAL: Soggy and sunny best describes Puerto San Carlos. About the only
remnants of Ignacio is murky water in the esteros and unsettled seas on the outside. Water temperatures are slowly creeping up and more exotics are being
reported being seen 240° - 270° degrees, 15 to 30 miles outside the entrada.
Quality-size tuna to 50-pounds a few dorado and a fair number of billfish are
enough to get everyone's attention and the esteros are taking a back seat.
Water Temperature 69°-76°
Air Temperature 71°-82°
Humidity 98%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:06 a.m. MDST
Sunset 7:47 p.m. MDST
Sept. 3 First Quarter Sept. 10 Full Sept. 18 Last Quarter Sept. 25 New
YELLOWTAIL - Look for the bird schools along the 50 fathom line between the
entrada and Santa Maria Bay.
CORVINA - Pier, bridge and power plant all producing good action.
SNOOK - With the storm everything is a bit unsettled so far, but the water is
getting cleaner everyday.
HALIBUT - Even these guys got tossed around a tad.
SIERRA - Pier and bird schools the best place.
ZIHUATANEJO, MAINLAND MEXICO
Please note the date. We are only providing weekly (not twice a week)
reports for this area.
Sat., August 30, 2003, Report covers the period Sat.-Fri. (8/23 - 8/29)
IN GENERAL: There has not been much change in the weather or the fishing the
last couple of weeks. The 82º blue water is close to the beach, and the daytime highs are about 92º with 90% humidity. The seas are calm, and what little rain we have been getting, has been at night.
The few boats going out are getting 2 to 3 sailfish a day and at least 1 blue marlin a day is being reported by the fleet.
The roosterfish action on the beach is outstanding, however. I was talking to
Luis Marciel on the pier and he told me; 'Mucho, Mucho, Muchisimo Gallos!'
(That, my friends, means a lot of roosters).
Water Temperature 75º-90º
Air Temperature 77°-92º
Humidity 94%
Wind Calm
Conditions Mostly Cloudy (BKN) : 8,000 ft
Visibility 8 miles
Sunrise 7:31 a.m. CDST
Sunset 8:01 p.m. CDST
Sept.. 3 First Quarter Sept. 10 Full Sept. 18 Last Quarter Sept 25 New
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo trips, go to:
http://www.bajafly.com/Zihuatanejo.htm
Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo report by Ed Kunze
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Aug 29, 2003; 10:30AM - Ixtapa Zihuatanejo fishing Report 8/22/03 - 8/29/03
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Category: Mexico Ixtapa Zihuatanejo
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Author Name: Stan Lushinsky Susan Richards
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A wild inshore week with RED HOT ROOSTERFISH was the ticket last week in Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. Favorable sea and weather conditions made for non-stop top water pencil poppin action. Once again the Cotton Cordell 6', 1 OZ. Model was the top producer. However the fish have turned on to the Blue and Chrome color instead of the normally favored red and peal color. First time visitor to Ixtapa Zihuatanejo, Andrew Kimbrell from Washington DC, landed 15 ROOSTERFISH from 45 - 70 Lbs over a two day period while fishing with Captain Adolofo Espinosa. Mr. Kimbrell also landed 10 YELLOWTAIL JACKS along with some BONITO and SKIPJACK TUNA. Mr. Kimbrell took several of the BONITO and SKIPJACK TUNA On a fly. Captain Adolofo fishing another 3 days landed 18 ROOSTERFISH and 20 YELLOWTAIL JACKS. The offshore action continues to be hit or miss with some good SAILFISH days reported along with some some shut outs. Several marlin were also reported this week.
Sea Conditions: Calm to Moderate
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo weather: Unusually perfect for this time of year.
Bait supply: Excellent
Sincerely,
Stan Lushinsky
Susan Richards
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Aug 27, 2003; 01:07PM - Chubasco In and Out Slowly
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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REPORT FROM GARY GRAHAM'S BAJA ON THE FLY:
PROVIDING QUALITY SALTWATER FLY-FISHING 365 DAYS A YEAR IN BAJA FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: bajafly@usa.net; USA toll-free (800) 919-2252; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
Wed., August 27, 2003 Report covers the period Sat.-Tues. (8/23 - 8/26)
EAST CAPE, MAGDALENA BAY AND ZIHUATANEJO CONDITIONS
EAST CAPE, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
IN GENERAL The Chubasco Ignacio passed off the coast of Buena Vista Sat. night. The wind roared all night long, with gusts from 75- to 120-mph, but amazingly there was no real damage done to the hotel. Plenty of rain up to 20-inches reported in some areas filled up several of the arroyos making them impassable. Both Las Palmas Arroyo near Mira Flores and the Las Cuevas Arroyo south of Buena Vista near the turnoff to La Ribera should be open in the next day or two. While all flights were cancelled Sun. and Mon., all airlines are reporting business as usual today. With all the debris dumped out of the arroyos everyone is anticipating a bonanza in the dorado department. Boats headed out yesterday found calm seas with mixed results and the fleet is back up to full speed as of this morning (8/27). Thanks to all of you who contacted us to be sure the Baja on the Fly staff had survived the latest Baja Chubasco.
AIR & SEA -
Water temperature 74°-80°
Air temperature 81°-95°
Humidity about 83%
Wind West at 7 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds (SCT) : 20,000 ft
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:59 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:41 p.m. MST
August 27 New Sept. 3 First Quarter Sept. 10 Full Sept. 18 Last Quarter
· OFFSHORE: Will take a few days for everything to settle back down.
· INSHORE: Very dirty water from runoff that should clear up fairly quickly.
· BEACH: With the arroyos opened up it is tough to even get up and down the
beaches.
BILLFISH - The fleet will have to find them all over again.
YELLOWFIN TUNA – Same deal here.
DORADO - Plenty of trash and flotsam should make it easier to find them.
ROOSTERFISH - Give it a couple of days and they will show up.
JACK CREVALLE - Punta Colorada receivers is a good place to start.
BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - They're mixed in with the tuna under the
porpoise.
PARGO AND CABRILLA - Las Barracas was holding a few, but it's an early
morning deal.
SIERRA - Punta Colorada Bay under the receiver the best shot.
MAGDALENA BAY, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
Wed., August 27, 2003 Report covers the period Sat.-Tues. (8/23 - 8/26)
IN GENERAL: A much weaker, slow moving Ignacio brought plenty of rain and
wind to Puerto San Carlos and the surrounding areas beginning on Mon. night and
is continuing dump buckets full as of this morning. Some flooding was reported at
Ciudad Constitución, but no serious damage so far. Before the storm hit, positive reports from offshore enticed several pangas out in search of big tuna and they found some
in the 50-pound class. With temps on the rise, bait balls are forming, and more and more exotics including marlin, tuna and dorado are being spotted. It looks like the Magdalena Bay fish pileup will not disappoint again this year. Don't miss out on the spectacular show. Get a front row seat at Flyrod Marlin 101. Call 800 919 2252 today.
Water Temperature 67°-73°
Air Temperature 77°-80°
Humidity 86%
Wind South at 2 mph
Conditions Partly Cloudy
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:05 a.m. MDST
Sunset 7:50 p.m. MDST
August 27 New Sept. 3 First Quarter Sept. 10 Full Sept. 18 Last Quarter
YELLOWTAIL - Pretty good before the storm.
CORVINA - Pier, bridge and power plant all producing good action.
SNOOK - Best week this year, then Ignacio shows up. We will see what happens now!
HALIBUT - Always to be found on sandy beaches throughout the bay.
SIERRA - Pier and bird schools the best place.
ZIHUATANEJO, MAINLAND MEXICO
Please note the date. We are only providing weekly (not twice a week)
reports for this area.
Sat., Aug. 23, 2003, Report covers the period Sat.-Fri. (8/16 - 8/22)
IN GENERAL: Offshore, the 82º blue water is right at the entrance to
Zihuatanejo Bay, but the fishing is not nearly as good as we think it should be.
All the boats are each getting one or two sailfish per day. The small (160
pound average) blue marlin are still hanging around and feeding on the abundant
skipjack tuna. The fleet, averaging about 10 boats, is taking about 1 blue a
day.
We need a lot more rain than we have been getting to attract the dorado and
make them stick around. As we approach Sept.., this should happen in the next
couple of weeks. The heavy rains flush trees and debris out of the numerous
rivers we have in the area, which in turn stacks up on the current lines.
However, as it is now, very few dorado are being taken.
The roosterfish action is definitely one of the bright spots, but only about
one boat a day is targeting them. Due to the lack of pressure, virtually the
entire coast is virgin water. Those that do target the roosters are getting 4
to 5 fish a day. They are averaging between 30 and 40 pounds.
Water Temperature 75º-90º
Air Temperature 77°-90º
Humidity 83%
Wind Calm
Conditions Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. CDST
Sunset 8:06 p.m. CDST
August 27 New Sept.. 3 First Quarter Sept. 10 Full Sept. 18 Last Quarter
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo trips, go to:
http://www.bajafly.com/Zihuatanejo.htm
Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo report by Ed Kunze
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Aug 25, 2003; 10:51AM - Fly Hooker Daily Fishing Reports
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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“FLY HOOKER” WEEKLY FISH COUNT
2 Blue Marlin released (#200, #200)
2 Striped Marlin released (#120, #100)
10 Yellowfin Tuna (#15-#35)
1 Bruiser Y.T. unintentionaly released (#180 est.)
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR AUGUST 19, 2003
Joe A., Joe B., Don and Rich are fishing again today, will take a day off tomorrow and then
fish again on Thursday and Friday. If you read last weeks dailys, you may remember that Joe A.
caught his Blue Marlin on Sunday. Today Juan and Manuel went to the same area, just a little
further out than we had gone on Sunday, and worked the area hard. They saw several Striped
Marlin in the morning but could not get any of them to bite. Around mid morning they found a
school of Tuna and caught one small Yellowfin and a Skipjack. Juan rigged the Skipjack as a live
bait and it was only out in the water for about 10 minutes before a Blue Marlin, estimated at
#200, came up and inhaled the bait. The fight took around 40 minutes and it was Don (Rico) who
put the pressure on the fish this time. This fish did everything that Joe A.’s fish did not, lots of
jumping all over the place, plenty of video proof on this one! Juan was able to tag the fish and
make a successful release. That was it for the day. Two days gone, two Marlin, two days to go
and two Marlin to go!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR AUGUST 20, 2003
Today we have Devon Boatman and his girlfriend Jennifer fishing on the “Fly Hooker” and
they will be fishing on Saturday as well. Devon would love to catch a Marlin but is perfectly
willing to get anything to fight. Jennifer does not have much experience so she is interested in
seeing what it is about. Well, she ended up thinking that it (Marlin fishing) is pretty boring. Lots
of water was covered today and it was not until the tail end of the trip that the guys were finally
able to get a fish to hook up. Devon was able to put the rod to the fish and had it alongside the
boat for the tag placement within 17 minutes! A good tag and release and Devon had the fish he
had been dreaming about, again a Blue Marlin estimated at #200. Jennifer said it was great
watching the fight, but she wanted more action on Saturday, and now that Devon had his Marlin,
maybe they could try for Tuna on Saturday, and maybe change the full day trip to a half day?
Well, we will try and see if the Tuna move in range of a half day trip. Keep you fingers crossed!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR 21 AUGUST, 2003
Joe A., Joe B., Don and Rich are aboard for the third day booked with us. Yesterday was
supposed to be a day off for them, but as they were sitting out on their patio watching the boats
leaving in the morning, Joe B. said “Hey, you know, we should be out there fishing” and off they
went to book a boat. I won’t mention the fleet name or boat name, but it was a different trip than
the ones they have had with us. Neither the Captain or Mate spoke English, and while Joe B. got
to fight a #200 Blue, the mate and Captain would not release the fish and instead, gaffed and
clubbed it and brought it into the boat. The bilge switch was not working so they had to get the
deck hatch open every 30 minutes and pump out the water, and on the way in the transmission
started to slip and the Captain had to lower the speed they were cruising at. They guys let us
know that they much preferred fishing on the “Fly Hooker”! Anyway, they were off to an early
start this morning and instead of going out to the Pacific side as they had been doing, Manuel
pointed the bow of the boat to the East and they cruised for almost an hour, getting to an area 5
miles past the 95 spot. When Manuel saw porpoise the slowed down and out went the lures.
They were the first boat to the fish and quickly proceeded to get 9 Yellowfin Tuna, all between 15
and 30 pounds. Then a big one hit! Joe A. fought this fish, which struck a Hi-5 lure in
Black/Green, for 30 minutes before they got color. Now the next part of this is on video
(actually, all of it is). Juan has two stick gaffs set up (he said Manuel told him not to use the
flying gaff) and as the fish came to the side of the boat he grabbed the leader, pulled it closer and
took the first shot he could at the fish. The gaff went into the fish in the belly area and the fish
took off. Juan lost his grip on the gaff and lunged over for it and ended up in the water, holding
on to the swim platform. The fish went down and back bringing the tight line (Joe forgot to back
off the drag when Juan grabbed the leader) across the bait bag frame and then, “pop” went the
line. Based on what Juan said, the guys said and the video, that Tuna would have been close to
the #200 mark, we placed it at a conservative #185 . Joe said the fight was great and he was just
glad that Juan did not get hurt! That was it for the Tuna and they went in search of a Marlin for
Rich, but did not even see one for the rest of the day. Ok, tomorrow is another day, and it is Rich
who will get to fight the big one!
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR AUGUST 22, 2003
This is the last day of fishing for Joe A., Joe B., Don and Rich, and Rich has to get his Marlin
today, I mean he has to! Juan and Manuel go back to the Pacific side of the Cape and continued
to work the are off the Lighthouse. I was worried when Juan called at almost 10AM and said that
they had only seen one Striped Marlin so far. Thank goodness their luck held out. As has been
the case every day except yesterday, they hooked into fish between 10AM and the end of the trip.
Rich got his fish when a tailing Striped Marlin was spotted and Juan tossed a bait. This fish was
hungry and ate the bait right away! What a change from the attitude of the Striped Marlin they
had seen so far this week! It was a battle but Rich was able to get his fish to the boat eventually
and Don was able to get some great video of the jumping Marlin and the sweating Rich! While
this fish was being fought they spotted two other Striped Marlin swimming around. I am not sure
exactly when the second Marlin of the day was caught, it may have been right afterward, but Don
go the rod and fought the fish. Another good battle and they guys ended up with four Marlin for
four days on our boat, all tagged and released, plus one fish killed on another boat. Oh yeah, lets
not forget the great Tuna action yesterday. A good trip all the way around! Thanks guys, we
look forward to a chance to have you fish the “Fly Hooker” again.
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR AUGUST 23, 2003
We were supposed to have Devon Boatman fishing the “Fly Hooker” for his second day today
and his girlfriend Jennifer was going to stay in town and shop because he met Lange, from the
Venice, LA area at the hotel and they decided to share the boat. Well, that was the idea anyway.
Mother nature and the new Port Captain had other things to say about it. The Captain shut down
the port at 6 AM due to the close approach of what has turned out to be Tropical Storm Ignacio,
but last night was just Tropical Depression #9E. It looks like we are going to be shut down
through at least Sunday, hopefully no longer, as the center of the storm is supposed to have
landfall sometime tomorrow morning. Right now the winds 70 miles from the center are
supposed to be at 45 MPH but it is 118 miles away to the southeast, moving northwest at 6 knots
and increasing in strength slowly. It is expected to increase to strong Tropical Storm strength
before landfall and we are expecting 6-12 inches of rain. Shades of Hurricane Juliet! At least our
winds wont be very strong, but that sure is a lot of rain for the desert. The storm is small enough
that we should be back in business by Monday (and our fingers are crossed)! Check in next week
to see how things turned out, as we are booked every day for the next two weeks (bad timing for
a storm).
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Aug 25, 2003; 10:48AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT FOR AUGUST 18 TO AUGUST 24, 2003
WEATHER: Ah, this was a wet week in Cabo! We had about 5 hours of steady rain on
Monday, early in the morning, just a forecast of what was to come. A little more rain on
Thursday and then of course we started to get really wet today as Tropical Storm Ignacio
approached. Just in case you are wondering, I am writing this on Saturday the 23rd, the Port
Captain closed the Port this morning and it is not expected to re-open until Monday morning. We
have been told that the storm is supposed to make landfall sometime tomorrow morning at strong
Tropical Storm strength. It is 118 miles to the southeast and moving northwest at 6 mph with
T.S. winds extending 70 miles from the center, so we should start to feel the wind this afternoon.
The rest of the week it has been muggy with little breeze, our daytime highs in the high 90’s and
night time lows in the low 80’s. (Blond Over Blue)
WATER: Great water this week with swells in the 1-3 foot range and little wind ripple on the
water. This was both on the Pacific side and the Sea of Cortez. The water was in the mid to high
80’s almost everywhere with some really warm spots showing up on the East Cape. The Pacific
was cooler than the Sea of Cortez, and that is normal. There was no really defined temperature
break within reach of the Cabo boats this week so almost everyone was working current lines and
upwellings. (A Minor Variation)
BAIT: Early in the week we had Mackerel and some Sardinas available, at the normal $2 per
bait, along with a few Mullet. At the end of the week, bait was scarce and most boats were only
able to pick up five or six pieces, a few Caballito or Mackerel and then whatever the bait boats
could come up with, also at $2 per bait. (Shades Of Grey)
FISHING:
BILLFISH: This turned out to be a good week for Marlin for many of the boats, but a lot of
them came in without ever seeing a Marlin. It seemed that the concentration was on the Pacific
side within 8 miles of the shore, and ranged from outside the Pedregal houses to the area known
as Los Arcos, up to the north. Most of the fish early in the week were Blue Marlin in the 200-250
pound range with larger fish seen, and a lot of Striped Marlin were spotted as well but were
reluctant to bite. Lures in black/green and purple/black worked well on the Blue Marlin as did
slow trolled Bonito or Skipjack. Live Yellowfin Tuna did not work as well as the other species,
but still got some good results. Later in the week the Striped Marlin began to bite and the action
seemed to be mixed with equal results on both lures and live bait. Other areas turned out Marlin
but the bite was more sporadic and spread out. Best time seemed to be between 10 and 2. (All
About Soul)
YELLOWFIN TUNA: Not the fish of the week for most of the boats, but a few of them really had
great action. We were lucky and got into the fish on Thursday. The Tuna were mixed in with
Porpoise and most of the fish were between 15 and 30 pounds. There were a few larger fish in
the mix however, and we hooked one estimated at #180 before loosing it at the side of the boat,
and another boat caught one that weighed #180 on Friday in the same area. The fish showed
strong for a few day around 5 miles to the southeast of the 95 spot and bit well on cedar plugs
and dark feathers. Gee, it seems that every week when I write about the fish, they seem to like
the same thing as the week before. Hmm, maybe I should just eliminate what they have been
biting from the report entirely! There were other fish scattered around the area, but almost every
one of them that was caught was Porpoise associated. Our big fish hooked up on a Hi-5 lure in
purple/black run on the short rigger. (Lullabye)
DORADO: Just like the past two weeks, the Dorado have been a bit scarce and the ones that
have been caught have been large fish, averaging 35 pounds. They have been incidental catch
for the most part, found while working the porpoise for Tuna or while looking for Marlin. (The
River Of Dreams)
WAHOO: See “Dorado”, above. (Two Thousand Years)
INSHORE: With the water as nice as it has been, most of the Pangas have been focusing on Tuna
and Marlin, but a few have been actively searching for Roosterfish. There were some very nice
ones caught up on the Pacific side early in the week, many of them in the 40 pound range. Slow
trolled Mullet were the key, and as far as I am aware, everyone of the fish were released. There
were some nice bottomfish caught as well, but only a few boats were trying for them. Grouper
and Snapper to 12 pounds on both cut bait and Sardinas were found around rocks in 120 feet of
water. (Famous Last Words)
NOTES: There were some of the intermediate size giant Squid caught this week, with a fairly
strong showing of 3 to 4 foot long fish about 1/2 to 1 mile off the lighthouse on the Pacific side.
A few big Blue Marlin in the #500 class were landed (unfortunate, sure wish they had been
released) and as I said above, there were some bruiser Yellowfin out there. Clients of ours went
on a last minute trip on another boat this week since we were already booked, and even though
they asked that the Marlin they caught be released, the captain and crew ignored them, gaffed and
landed the fish. Please, please, please, if the crew ignores your request to release, don’t tip them!
You are the client, you are paying good money and if they want to go commercial fishing, let
them do it on their own dime! Also, I met another group who booked a boat from one of the
coyotes on the beach, gave him a $50 deposit and them wondered why the guy never showed up
outside the Kentucky Fried Chicken store at 6 in the morning to take them to the boat! Come on
folks, some guy you have never met before, out on the beach, not even at a storefront location,
renting you a 46’ Hattaras for $1,100 the next day and only asking for a $50 deposit? Get real,
sorry, but that’s not very smart. This weeks report written to the music of Billy Joel on his 1993
Sony Music release “River Of Dreams”.
NOTES: Well it’s Monday morning. Lost a weekend of fishing. Not too much damage, mostly
a little wind. All the boats are still floating. What we call a banana storm. Only strong enough to
knock over the banana trees and break a few branches. Not much rain hit us. Cabo is fine!
Back to fishing tomorrow.
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Aug 23, 2003; 01:13PM - Football or Beachballs
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Category: Saltwater Fly Fishing Reports
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Author Name: Gary Graham
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REPORT FROM GARY GRAHAM'S BAJA ON THE FLY:
PROVIDING QUALITY SALTWATER FLY-FISHING 365 DAYS A YEAR IN BAJA FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: bajafly@usa.net; USA toll-free (800) 919-2252; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373
Sat., Aug. 23, 2003 Report covers the period Wed.-Fri. (8/20 - 8/22)
EAST CAPE, MAGDALENA BAY AND ZIHUATANEJO CONDITIONS
EAST CAPE, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
IN GENERAL: Plenty of football-size tuna close – just a few miles in front of La Ribera. For the fly-rodder, the problem is that they are down deep and keying on bait. Try this technique: use a weighted fly like a Clouser or Baja Deep Diver, cast as far as you can and let the line sink a long time. Depending on current, that could be as long as several minutes. Retrieve the fly in long, steady pulls. If you don't have a take in seven or eight pulls, roll cast your line back out and let the fly sink and try again. This is the classic 'Not what bites, but what might' situation and occasionally your strip strike will yield a
tuna that is not football-sized, maybe more like a beach ball. The billfish scene continues with blues and sails dominating the action. Makes it tough for the fly-rodder not knowing weather the fish in the teasers is going to be a frolicking sail or an angry blue speedster that takes the fly.
AIR & SEA -
Water temperature 79°-84°
Air temperature 81°-93°
Humidity about 79%
Wind SSE at 7 mph
Conditions Scattered Clouds (SCT) : 20,000 ft
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MST
Sunset 7:44 p.m. MST
August 27 New Sept. 3 First Quarter Sept. 10 Full Sept. 18 Last Quarter
· OFFSHORE: Try the tuna early, then head out further and pick a fight with the
blue marlin and sails. Action is enough to provide a handful of shots a day for the
alert fly-rodder.
· INSHORE: Jacks, roosters and a occasional dorado to round out the action. If you want something a little different try the pargo at Las Barracas.
· BEACH: Cloudy water from recent rains sure makes it tough to play the sight casting game. Plenty of shots to be had at Bartle Beach if the conditions come together. Bright sun and clean water is a must to find Bubba.
BILLFISH - Not bad, handful of shots a day the norm for those who work at it.
YELLOWFIN TUNA - Hey it is football pre-season, look out for the big guys
under the porpoise in the next few weeks.
DORADO - Looking for dorado these days is like playing a shell game. Pick the
right shark buoy and smiles abound.
ROOSTERFISH - It's summertime and Bubba's back (not sure he ever left). Few
folks on the beach looking, so there is plenty of room for the serious anglers.
JACK CREVALLE - Lots of schoolies under the bait receivers at Punta Colorada
and La Ribera along with tonnage of needlefish.
BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - They're mixed in with the tuna under the
porpoise.
PARGO AND CABRILLA - Las Barracas holding a few, but it’s an early morning
deal.
SIERRA - Punta Colorada Bay under the receiver the best shot.
MAGDALENA BAY, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO
Sat., August 23, 2003 Report covers the period Wed.-Fri. (8/20 - 8/22)
IN GENERAL: Shhh! Hear the popping back up in the mangroves? That’s Mr. Snook
beckoning you to a 'Snook Smackdown'. With a couple of fish this week weighing in at an estimated 30- and 34-pounds and another half a dozen smaller ones, this could be a serious event attracting plenty of spectators including red snapper, leopard grouper and the ever present corvina. Looking for a fight? Dive right in and don't forget your Baja Deep Diver!
Out in the Pacific, temps are rising, bait balls are forming, marlin, tuna and dorado are beginning to arrive for the Fall extravaganza to be held in Nov. Don't miss out on the spectacular show. Get a front row seat at Flyrod Marlin 101. Call 800 919 2252 today.
Water Temperature 67°-73°
Air Temperature 74°-84°
Humidity 86%
Wind Calm
Conditions Clear
Visibility 3 miles
Sunrise 7:03 a.m. MDST
Sunset 7:54 p.m. MDST
August 27 New Sept. 3 First Quarter Sept. 10 Full Sept. 18 Last Quarter
YELLOWTAIL - Plenty of action under the bird schools at the entrada.
CORVINA - Pier, bridge and Power Plant all producing good action.
SNOOK - Best week this year!
HALIBUT - Always to be found on sandy beaches throughout the bay.
SIERRA - Pier and bird schools the best place.
ZIHUATANEJO, MAINLAND MEXICO
Please note the date. We are only providing weekly (not twice a week) reports for this area.
Sat., Aug. 23, 2003, Report covers the period Sat.-Fri. (8/16 - 8/22)
IN GENERAL: Offshore, the 82º blue water is right at the entrance to Zihuatanejo Bay, but the fishing is not nearly as good as we think it should be.
All the boats are each getting one or two sailfish per day. The small (160 pound average) blue marlin are still hanging around and feeding on the abundant skipjack tuna. The fleet, averaging about 10 boats, is taking about 1 blue a day.
We need a lot more rain than we have been getting to attract the dorado and make them stick around. As we approach Sept.., this should happen in the next couple of weeks. The heavy rains flush trees and debris out of the numerous rivers we have in the area, which in turn stacks up on the current lines. However, as it is now, very few dorado are being taken.
The roosterfish action is definitely one of the bright spots, but only about one boat a day is targeting them. Due to the lack of pressure, virtually the entire coast is virgin water. Those that do target the roosters are getting 4 to 5 fish a day. They are averaging between 30 and 40 pounds.
Water Temperature 75º-90º
Air Temperature 77°-90º
Humidity 83%
Wind Calm
Conditions Scattered Clouds
Visibility 10 miles
Sunrise 7:30 a.m. CDST
Sunset 8:06 p.m. CDST
August 27 New Sept.. 3 First Quarter Sept. 10 Full Sept. 18 Last Quarter
For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo trips, go to:
http://www.bajafly.com/Zihuatanejo.htm
Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo report by Ed Kunze
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Aug 22, 2003; 10:09PM - Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Fish Report 8/13/03 - 8/22/03
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Category: Mexico Ixtapa Zihuatanejo
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Author Name: Susan Richards/Stan Lushinsky
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A very light angling week Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. Favorable sea and f weather patterns are still in place. Frennh angler Mr. Touseau finished a two week fishing excursion with Captain Adolofo Espinosa by landing 1 SAILFISH, 12 ROOSTERFISH, 21 YELLOWTRAIL JACKS, and 14 RAINBOW RUNNERS. First time visitor to Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Mr Warren Powell also fishing aboard the Dos Hermanos landed 3 SAILFISH, 5 YELLOWTAIL JACKS, 6 BONITOS and 4 NEEDLEFISH in two days of fishing. The Blue water remains close with large schools of bait present.
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo weather: Hazy Hot and Humid
Sea Conditions: Calm to Moderate
Sincerely,
Stan Lushinsky
Susan Richards
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Aug 18, 2003; 11:40AM - Fly Hooker Daily Fishing Reports
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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“FLY HOOKER” WEEKLY FISH COUNT
1 Blue Marlin Released (#250 est.)
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR AUGUST 11-16, 2003
Instead of a fish report for this time frame, I am giving a little update on the work done to the
boat. New bottom paint, replaced the old bronze shaft logs with fiberglass ones because the last
time the port engine and transmission were removed they were not re-aligned when replaced and
we wore a hole in the side of the old bronze one, that caused us to take on a lot of water and also
warped the shaft a bit so we got a lot of vibration. Both shafts were cut down by 2 3/4” and new
packing sleeves installed. Shaft couplings turned and trued. New props. The rudders were
removed and taken to a shop where they had bronze added to the shafts and were turned so the
shafts were equal in diameter all the way through, no rudder rattle and smoother turning. New
hardware for the rudders. Hull and topsides compounded and waxed and the binini tops re-sewn
(next time we will have new tops), just have to save the money! A pretty busy week all in all.
“FLY HOOKER” FISH REPORT FOR AUGUST 17, 2003
Joe Antenucci, Joe Baron, Don Ridolfi and Rich Walters are our anglers for today and they will
be fishing on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday as well. The idea is for them to get Marlin, at least
for Joe Antenucci. That is the game plan for the day and that is what we set out to do. It was
Juan and myself on the boat today. Manuel asked for Wednesday through Sunday off so he could
travel with his baseball team for competition up and down the peninsula (got out of a lot of the
dry dock work as well). Yesterday one of the boats had gotten a #600 Blue Marlin 6 miles from
the arch so we headed out toward the lighthouse on the Pacific side first. Oops, maybe not the
first thing. The first thing was to take care of a problem at the fuel dock. As I went into the store
to get our ice, the shaft on the port engine backed out of the coupling and all of a sudden we had
no port propulsion. We determined the problem quickly and 30 minutes later Juan had everything
re-attached and tightened and we were on our way. One of the little things that we did not pick
up on during the sea trials yesterday when the boat returned to the water. Oh well, no harm done
and just a little bit late. When we reached the area about four miles off of the lighthouse we put
lines in the water. It was perfect Marlin water, 2-3 foot swells with lots of wind chop. At a
distance of six miles offshore and eight miles for the arch, we had a look at our first fish. A
Striped Marlin came up on the lure in the long position and followed it. Juan gunned the engines
as I ran down and dropped a bait back. The fish disappeared and did not come back. That was at
8:45. I told the guys when we started this morning that the best time for the Blue Marlin was
going to be between 10 AM and 2 PM and that dead on noon would be the best shot of the day,
the tide would be about an hour and 15 minutes before high. Well, I was wrong because at 11:20
we had a Blue Marlin show up on the lure in the long position, off of the bridge rod. I was
scanning the water when out of the side of my vision I caught the bridge rod beginning to bend.
Then the reel gave a short scream. Juan was on it in a flash as I went down to drop back a live
bait. I had the bait halfway back in the pattern when Juan yelled that it was a big Blue, not a
Striped, so I reeled in the bait. The Blue struck at the lure four times, and each time missed. On
the last shot, Juan had the rod tip raised and as the Blue came in behind the lure, he dropped the
rod tip and let the lure right back into the Marlin’s mouth! Hook Up! We managed to get the rod
passed down to Joe and he settled into the fight. Don had the video cameras going, needing to
document the fish for friends and family back home. The only jump the Marlin did was just after
Juan had set the hook, and the fish lunged from the water going from left to right across the
pattern. Nice fish. Joe had steady pressure on the fish the whole time, not backing the drag off a
bit. After ten minutes his fingers were getting tired of holding the rod with all the pressure on it
and after 20 minutes had said he had enough, he was not able to hold onto the rod any longer.
That was when I remembered that we had a belt harness on board. My fault entirely, I should
have had it out from the beginning. We got Joe strapped into the harness and he was able to
continue the fight. This fish never got more than 200 yards of line out, we never got into the
backing on the reel. The last twenty minutes of the fight was all at a distance where we could
occasionally see color. Joe went to low speed on the reel and I coached him on the short strokes
and we finally got the fish close enough for me to get leader in hand . As soon as I had wraps
with both hands I told Joe to back off on the drag and he did it. The fish held along the port side
of the boat for 5 seconds, long enough to have tagged him had I three hands, then turned away
from the boat, I was able to get him turned back and we had a great jump on leader at the back of
the boat. The fish turned to the starboard side and as I followed it around the leader got hung up
on the bait bag frame for a second. That was long enough to halt the fish short of clearing the
boat and pulled him under. That is when the prop touched the leader and all of a sudden we had
released the Marlin. Estimated at 250 pounds, it was a great 45 minute job by Joe! That was it
for the day and we were lucky, as a lot of boats did not catch anything today. After watching Joe
fight the Marlin, I am not sure if the other guys really want to catch their own Marlin or not, but
we have three more day to do it in! Keep your fingers crossed for us!
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Aug 18, 2003; 11:26AM - Cabo Bite Report
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Category: Mexico Cabo San Lucas
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Author Name: George Landrum
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Capt George Landrum
Fly Hooker Sportfishing
gmlandrum@hotmail.com
www.flyhooker.com
CABO SAN LUCAS FISH REPORT FOR AUGUST 8 TO AUGUST 17, 2003
WEATHER: We are in that time of the year when things don’t change very much as far as how
warm it gets, and the only excitement we get on the weather scene is if we happen to get a
hurricane approaching. Thank goodness there is not one on the horizon! Our nights have been
warm with the temperatures around 80 degrees and during the day the thermometer has been
recording temperatures as high as 101 degrees. Warm and humid, the words for the week. We
did have a bit of a breeze from the northwest and a few hours from the east, so it was not all bad,
but if you went up the coast towards San Jose you got cooked. (Heat Wave)
WATER: Pretty much smooth water everywhere, perhaps only a light chop on any one day.
The temperature on the Sea of Cortez side have been showing as hot as 90 degrees, far too warm
for me, but the area to the south and the Pacific coast have been just about perfect. We did have
a band of cooler, 78 degree, greenish water along the Pacific coast on Thursday. This band
extended out for about 10 miles and the water outside was about 81 degrees. On Friday it
switched and became the warm band about 4 miles wide, with temperatures as high as 85 degrees
and the water outside was around 81 degrees. Real strange. (Blue Bayou)
BAIT: Mackerel and Mullet at the normal $2 per bait. (It’s So Easy)
FISHING:
BILLFISH: The Marlin bite remains a bit on the slow side but there have been some big ones
taken. Several fish over 600 and 700 pounds have been weighed (I hope that they died during the
fight and were not killed just to show off) and several others were tagged and released. These
fish were all reported as Blue Marlin but there were reports of Black Marlin being hooked. Most
of these big fish were found along the canyon edges on the Pacific side, but several large fish were
also reported from the area of the 95 spot. Blue/Pink/Silver and Black/Green seemed to get
regular mention by the Captains and crews that found Marlin that would bite. There were still a
few Sailfish being found as well as Striped Marlin, but there were not any strong concentrations
of them around. (Just One Look)
YELLOWFIN TUNA: I never did get confirmation on the big Yellowfin Tuna reported last week,
so it may have been just talk. The bite did die off this week as the Tuna either moved farther
offshore or out of the area completely. A few boats have been flying Tuna Flags and they seem to
have been the ones first to a pod of Porpoise, when the Tuna have been found the bite has been
very short before the fish have gone down. Small feathers in dark colors worked well as did live
bait. No concentrations of fish, as I said, but reports are that the fish that have been found have
been to the south of the Cape, around 35 or more miles out. (Poor Poor Pitiful Me)
DORADO: I think the Dorado have become the fish of the week this time. Not because they
have been found in any large numbers, but because most of the boats have been able to get at least
one of them during a trip. The fish have been averaging 15-20 pounds with a few beasts in the 60
pound and over bracket. All I can say about where they have been is they are where you find
them. A scattered bite without any large concentrations was the norm for the week. The usual
worked, as fish were found under Turtles and diving Frigates, but most of the fish were blind
strikes. (Somewhere Out There)
WAHOO: Very few Wahoo caught this week. (Hurt So Bad)
NEARSHORE: Some Roosterfish and scattered bottomfish were found up and down the Pacific
and Sea of Cortez by the boats working the shore. I saw a very large Grouper, in the 100 pound
range, brought in by one boat. Most of the fish were much smaller than that and the special bait
seemed to be small, live Mackerel, dropped to rocky areas in 40 to 120 feet of water. A mixed
catch of Grouper and Pargo was the norm, with most of the fish under 10 pounds. Many of the
Pangas went offshore in search of Marlin because the water was so smooth this week. (Adios)
NOTES: Maybe the reason the Tuna bite dropped as much as it did is that they were worked so
hard by all the Tuna Seiners that were here last week. Now the Seiners have moved on. They
must be following the fish, or else they fished out our area for the time being. If you are coming
down for a shot at a big Marlin, they are here. It just takes time on the water. Don’t expect to
get a chance to tangle with one of the brutes on your first day out. I always recommend that
people book at least 5 days of fishing in order to get a decent chance at a Blue Marlin, and even
then sometimes nothing appears. But when it does, watch out! Make sure the boat you book has
gear that will handle a big fish like that, it can be a once in a lifetime chance! Until next week,
Tight lines! This weeks report was written to the wonderful sound of Linda Ronstadt on the 2002
Elektra release “The Very Best Of Linda Ronstadt”. Finally, song titles that match the notes!
Enjoy!
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Aug 14, 2003; 10:59AM - Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Sportfishing Report 8/8/03 - 8/14/03
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Category: Mexico Ixtapa Zihuatanejo
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Author Name: Stan Lushinsky Susan Richards
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A few storms dotted the Ixtapa Zihuatanejo area last week but still nothing major. The inshore fishing remains RED HOT with Mexico City angler Mr. Doucette leading the way. Fishing aboard the Dos Hermanos 1 with captain Adolofo landed 7 Roosterfish in one morning of fishing. Most of the ROOSTERFISH were taken on live bait. Fishing a combination of both onshore and offshore, French angler Mr. Touseau, landed 10 SAILFISH, 6 ROOSTERFISH and 46 YELLOWTAIL JACKS in 4 days of fishing. The blue water continues to be within a mile of shore and sea and weather conditions remain very favorable for this time of year. Large schools of bait are present all along the coast.
We Remind everyone that there are still open date available for this year's Ixtapa Zihuatanejo Total Tag & Release Tournament which will take place from November 16th - 19th 2003. Included in our list of activities for this year will a live auction with the proceeds going to the CHILDREN'S WISH FOUNDATION. Interested anglers are encouraged to get in touch with our office for details.
Ixtapa Zihuatanejo weather: Partly sunny, Hazy hot and humid
Sea Conditions: Calm to moderate
Bait supply: Excellent
Sincerely,
Stan Lushinsky / Susan Richards
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