East Cape Fishing Report! 12/2/13
We have enjoyed steady fishing right through the past month, as our sea surface temperatures have remained higher than normal for this time of year, which is the tail-end of our peak fishing season. Warm water means good fishing, and our Sea of Cortez fishing grounds are still in the 80-83 degree range.
Good availability of caballitos for live bait is giving our fleet multiple shots at striped marlin, sailfish, and even some blue marlin, especially to the north. Fish are biting on trolled lures as well as live bait.
Dorado fishing remains excellent in terms of overall numbers, but average size is on the low end of the spectrum, which is typical for our late season. 10-20# dorado are the norm.
Yellowfin tuna are absent, with skipjacks filling in the gap there. Inshore, juvenile roosterfish remain but the bigger fish that were being caught at the beginning of the month have mostly disappeared.
Glorious fall air temps in the high 70s-low 80s and some great fishing make this an ideal time to visit the East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report! 11/1/13
Fishing was steady to spectacular this past month, starting out as the best it can be and tapering somewhat by the end of the month.
Leading the way are excellent numbers of dorado, with most boats in the fleet catching 3-8 dorado per day. While this is great action, the size is a bit on the small side, with most fish in the 10-20# range. A few bigger fish are mixed in with angler creels.
Billfish action for striped marlin, sailfish, and blue marlin remains very good. Fish are all across our fishing grounds, but a lot of action is just east of the Hotels out in front of La Ribera Bank, and outward to points further east from Punta Arena/The Lighthouse. Trolling lures continue to produce the best results, especially orange/yellow, green, and blue/white color combinations. The sailfish range in size from 80-120#, and the striped marlin 100-140#. Action for blue marlin remains steady, with boats in the fleet enjoying shots at fish on a daily basis. Most fish are in the 200-450# class.
We lack good bait for gamefish right now, which coincides with diminished success as compared to earlier in October. Mackerel, ballyhoo, and sardines are mostly absent, with caballitos representing the only live bait. A few Humboldt squid have reappeared, so some boats are catching a few calamari at first light to use as chunk bait.
Wahoo action remains decent, albeit hard to predict. Random fish are being caught by boats trolling for marlin and dorado. Most wahoo are in the 40-70# range.
Inshore, good action remains for roosterfish, with some fish up to 40-50# still being caught, but many more juveniles are showing up in creels. Best action is in front of Cabo Riviera Marina and Hotel Punta Colorada.
Yellowfin tuna have disappeared from East Cape waters.
Our sea surface temps are 81-83 degrees throughout the fishing grounds, and we’re enjoying moderating air temps (high 80’s) that signal the arrival of the fall season in the Tropics. We hope to see you soon on Baja’s East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report! 10/1/13
Welcome to October, one of our best fishing months of the year! The Hotels are virtually full this month; we have just a few room nights open mid-month as well as later in October.
The fishing is absolutely phenomenal on the East Cape right now! It’s a true sportfisherman’s paradise, with a smorgasbord of options to choose from. With some September tropical rains washing the arroyos of debris, dorado fishing is about the best of the year right now. While many schoolie-size fish 10-20# are being caught, occasional bulls 30-45# also are in the mix. Most boats are catching limits of dorado each day. Lots of action right offshore from our hotels and northward, as well as out from La Ribera.
Yellowfin tuna are on the rise after a late summer dip in the action. Big numbers of football-size fish are right in Bahia las Palmas within a few miles of our hotels, and while the schools are not heavily concentrated, there seem to be lots of fish overall. Mixed in with the yellowfin are quite a few skipjack, so anglers are sorting through these to get their limits of yellowfin. Most boats are limiting out each day. Some bigger tuna are being caught, although average remains around 20-25#. To the south off Los Frailes, bigger specimens are showing up, making this longer boat ride worth the trip for guests who want the biggest tuna. Good numbers of wahoo also are being caught at our southernmost fishing grounds.
Roosterfish are still big and plentiful. We’ve seen plenty of 60-80# class fish caught and released recently, along with many smaller specimens. El Cardonal and Bahia de Los Muertos to the north–and the shoreline in front of Punta Colorada all the way east and south around Lighthouse Point–have been prime fishing spots.
Billfishing remains excellent. Multiple blue marlin are being released by boats in our fleet, but the best action is for big sailfish (100#-plus) and striped marlin (100-150#). While most boats are focusing on the hot dorado and yelowfin action for limits of those species, anglers targeting billfish are enjoying multiple hookups and lots of releases each day.
Bait is plentiful. Huge schools of sardines are being netted by our bait boats, providing excellent chum bait for our fly anglers and tuna/dorado bait fishermen. The sardines really chum up the smaller roosters as well! Caballitos for billfish–and lots of squid in our waters’rounds out our excellent selection of bait.
Along with the hot roosterfish bite inshore, anglers who choose to bottom-fish with chunk squid are getting some nice amberjack and pargo.
Air temps are in the 90’s, and sea surface temps throughout our fishing grounds are in the 85-87 degree range. You can’t ask for better conditions and better fishing than we have on the East Cape! We hope to see you soon!
East Cape Fishing Report! 9/3/13
With some seasonal tropical rains comes a change in the overall fishing on the East Cape. After several months of red-hot marlin fishing and some great tuna action, the best fishing right now in the Sea of Cortez is for dorado. Excellent numbers of dorado are being caught, along with many quality-size fish. Fishing grounds to the north, east, and south all have been productive for the past few weeks.
Striped marlin remain active and abundant, and a few blue marlin have been mixed in, with our fleet producing at least a handful of blue marlin releases daily. Plenty of big sailfish are available as well. Squid are very plentiful at the moment, so there are times when the billfish bite slows, probably due to the amount of bait for gamefish to feed on.
Inshore, bottom fishing for pargo has been good, and a solid bite for big amberjack (to 50#) has been happening near La Ribera. Roosterfish action remains steady in East Cape waters as well, with the best fishing to the north near El Cardonal, and to the east/south near Punta Arena and the lighthouse. Most roosters being caught and released range in size from 20-40#. Wahoo numbers have dropped off substantially from earlier in the summer.
Sea surface temps are in the low- to mid-80 degree range across most of our fishing grounds.
East Cape Fishing Report! 7/31/13
We’re sounding like a broken record, but WOW is the fishing on the East Cape ever exceptional right now! We’ve had an incredible month of excellent angling, with a wide variety of species running full throttle across the Sea of Cortez.
The famous East Cape Bisbee Offshore Tournament just wrapped up, with 214 marlin and sailfish released, plus 36 big dorado and 12 big yellowfin tuna brought to the scales. Most of the billfish were striped marlin, with non-qualifying (less than 300#) blue marlin mixed in, along with a single black marlin. Quite a few sailfish were released as well.
The average size of dorado being caught continue to impress, as has been the case for most of this summer’s peak fishing season. All of the top dorado in the Bisbee were 40-pound plus fish, with a 47.8# taking top honors.
Yellowfin numbers and average size also have been impressive in East Cape waters, with numerous fish available exceeding 100#. Van Wormer Resorts’ Chucky Van Wormer boated the biggest tuna of the Bisbee tournament, a 192# behemoth.
Across the board, fishing has been lights out. Big wahoo are plentiful, and some incredible numbers and average size of roosterfish are available inshore, with many specimens exceeding 50-pound class.
Safe to say, if you enjoy affordable big game fishing, few spots on Earth rival the East Cape and the Sea of Cortez right now! With sea surface temps in the mid- to high-80 degree range, it’s a hot time to be fishing with us!
East Cape Fishing Report! 7/1/13
If you’re fishing on the East Cape right now, it’s easy to see why the East Cape often is highlighted as one of the world’s top sportfishing destinations. Angling success is off the charts right now, as many of our top species are in full throttle mode.
Yellowfin tuna season went from ‘Zero-to-60’ in the blink of an eye, with one of the first fish to come in topping the scales at a whopping 172#. In short order, numerous 100-pound plus tuna are now being caught.
One of the most impressive wahoo bites in recent years continues, with excellent numbers of fish available, as well as many huge specimens. A whopping 109# was the biggest reported this week. In lockstep, huge dorado are being caught as well, with some bulls exceeding the mythical 60# mark. Both numbers of mahi mahi and overall average size continue to impress. Some boats are averaging 40# for their dorado catches.
Fishing for striped marlin and sailfish is beyond compare. It’s not unusual for boats in our fleet that are targeting billfish exclusively to come back to the docks with fifteen-plus marlin releases in a single day. In a recent seven-boat ‘fun’ tournament, 105 billfish were caught and released.
Roosterfish are in peak form as well. Lots of big ‘Pez Gallo’ are in the shallows, and can be caught from shore as well as from our boats. The morning bite seems to be the best. Many large roosterfish are being caught, and the overall inshore bite for a wide variety of species is going strong. Fishing grounds to the north continue to be the best option.
For awesome East Cape fishing, you can’t beat what we have going on in the Sea of Cortez right now. We hope to see you soon!
East Cape Fishing Report! 5/30/13
Fishing is lights out on the East Cape right now for a number of prime species! Striped marlin, big Pacific sailfish, dorado, roosterfish, jack crevalle, cabrilla, wahoo, and even some amberjack, sierra mackerel, and pargo are showing up in angler catches right now. The peak season is off to a roaring start!
Striped marlin and sailfish are strong right now. Boats are returning to the dock each afternoon with an average of 4-8 billfish release flags flying from the outriggers. Catch-and-release is STRONGLY encouraged for this precious resource! Big numbers of marlin are available from all of our prime fishing grounds: La Ribera and Los Frailes to the east and south (as well as out from Punta Arena/Lighthouse Point), and to the north off Punta Pescadero and Ocho-Ocho Reef/Isla Cerralvo. Trolling marlin lures is bringing many fish to the boat, but anglers also are spotting many fish on the surface and pitching baits to these fish for hookups.
Dorado fishing really took off during the past couple of weeks. Many bulls in the 40# range are starting to show up in anglers’ creels. Many smaller fish remain available as well. The mahi-mahi are striking trolled marlin lures and also bait is catching fish.
Roosterfishing is excellent. In addition to excellent numbers of fish inshore’especially in our waters to the north of the hotels’some incredible sizes of roosterfish are being caught. Check out the photos on the ‘Fishing’ Page of our website (or if you’re reading this Report on our website, just look below!). Fish in the 50#-70# class can be caught, plus plenty of action for numbers of smaller-sized ‘Pez Gallo.’
Wahoo numbers are not great, but the biggest fish recently was a whopping 63 pounds which is an awesome fish! Most wahoo being caught are in the 30-40# range.
Also inshore, a steady bite for Jack Crevalle prevails. Again, good action for both numbers and size. Sierra mackerel’primarily a winter season species for us’also remain in the mix. Some cabrilla, triggerfish, various snapper species and even a few amberjack are keeping anglers smiling with great fishing variety! Coolers are being filled with tasty fillets, so our guests can bring a taste of the Baja back home at the conclusion of their fishing vacation.
We’re still awaiting the consistent arrival of schools of yellowfin tuna, but with sea surface temperatures approaching 80 degrees, an abundance of bait, and our gentle summer currents in the Sea of Cortez, we expect the ahi bite to heat up any day now. No action yet for big blue marlin or any black marlin, but we did have a report of several swordfish a few weeks back (a rarity in our waters), including one swordfish hooked up that was estimated at over 400#. After a protracted battle, the fish escaped.
East Cape Fishing Report! 5/1/13
Striped marlin lead the way in this fishing report, as they are common and being caught in good numbers here on the East Cape. The fish are everywhere across our fishing grounds, as sea surface temperatures are in the mid-70’s’the preferred water temperature for stripers. Billfish comtinue to pour into the Sea of Cortez in advance of the upcoming spawn. Ample bait in the area will keep the fish in our strike zone for the weeks and months ahead!
Plenty of dorado are available in East Cape waters as well, although many of the fish are running small (10-15#). Some bigger specimens up to 40# are showing up.
Inshore, roosterfishing is very good, with numbers of fish being caught. Again, most are smaller in size, but some big fish are hooking up as well. Mixed in with the near-shore bite are jack crevalle and a few pargo and triggerfish.
While some reports of tuna continue to circulate from the fishing grounds on the Pacific side near Cabo San Lucas, we have only seen sporadic signs of yellowfin on the East Cape so far this Spring. We await the consistent summer bite for the ahi!
With perfect sea surface temperatures and gorgeous weather, it’s a perfect time to visit the East Cape.
East Cape Fishing Report! 4/1/13
Fishing has really started to pick up on the East Cape! With subsiding northerly trade winds, our sea surface temperatures have quickly warmed to the mid-70’s, and striped marlin, dorado, some schoolie yellowfin, and even roosterfish have started showing up in our fishing grounds.
Striped marlin were present for about a week last month and were beign caught in good numbers near Punta Pescadero, but then disappeared with the advent of windy conditions. Now they are back, and boats fishing for marlin are enjoying 1-2 releases per day and seeing other fish tailing on the surface or in lure spreads. The yellowfin tuna bite has started in Cabo San Lucas, and we’ve seen a few tuna in our southerly fishing grounds, but any day now the tuna bite should go off in a big way on the East Cape. We’re hoping for a repeat hot season for ahi!
The biggest story of the past month are the incredible numbers of yellowtail being caught all up and down the East Cape. 2013 may well go down in East Cape angling history as the best yellowtail bite ever. We are catching numerous fish, and poundage is fantastic with many 30-40# class fish showing up. A huge school was reported as far north as La Paz. Numbers of fish were being caught just two miles offshore from Palmas de Cortez, with a flotilla of local pangas mixed in with our charter boats. Secondary schools were being contacted near La Ribera and Punta Arena (Lighthouse Point).
Schoolie dorado are in the mix as well, and one of the first wahoo of the season was reported. Inshore, good numbers of sierra mackerel remain, but the most exciting news is the early arrival of good numbers of roosterfish, including some larger specimens. Jack crevalle are available as well. While most fish are being caught from boats near shore, some anglers are hooking up from the beach as well! Sea surface temperatures are already approaching 75 degrees. Peak summer fishing is just around the corner!
East Cape Fishing Report! 3/1/13
It has been an interesting and productive winter ‘off-season’ for fishing! While northerly trade winds keep anglers off the Sea of Cortez for the most part, these typiclly blow for 4-5 days at a stretch and then it lays down for several days. On these calmer days, fishing has been better than average here on the East Cape! Leading the way have been high numbers of dorado. While most of the fish are 10-15# range, a few bigger ones are mixed in and action can be fast overall. We had one week earlier in February when a wide warm finger of 76 degree water pushed well north and in this temperature break our fleet found some schoolie yellowfin tuna and a lot of bait and porpoises.
Striped marlin have made their presence known as well. While the numbers aren’t at our late Spring peak when most boats enjoy multiple hookups on a daily basis, there definitely has been some good marlin catch-and-release action going on. One group from Chicago caught and releases six striped marlin in three days of fishing, and estimated hooking between 50-60 dorado along with a few small tuna and loads of sierra mackerel as well. Now that’s some awesome fishing for the East Cape winter season! Speaking of sierra, it has been a banner winter for these fish as well. Inshore, sierra action is hot, with many quality fish available.
Despite a cold and snowy winter across much of the U.S., Baja has enjoyed a decent off-season weather-wise. Sea surface temperatures are 71-74 degrees, and warm quickly on the days when the northerlies aren’t blowing cooler air and water down from the upper regions of the Sea of Cortez. We’re warming quickly and fishing already is steady, so we’re excited about a fantastic season in 2013! We hope to see you on the East Cape very soon!
East Cape Fishing Report! 2/1/13
The winter months of December, January, and February are normally considered our ‘off-season’. While plenty of angling opportunities are available, especially inshore, the action just can’t compare to the awesome fishing we see during our peak season from March through November. This is mostly because of the northerly trade winds that make this area famous for windsurfing and kite boarding during the winter, but can add quite a bit of chop to a fishing day. That being said, it doesn’t always blow during winter, and there is some great fishing to be found. There are lots of great bays that are protected from the wind where you can catch over a dozen different species in a single day. Winter fishing in the East Cape can produce world-class yellowtail, pargo, sierra, wahoo, dorado, grouper, cabrilla, jacks, and many other lesser known species, all very close to shore. In addition to good fishing, you’ll enjoy the lowest room rates and charter rates and the most comfortable air temperatures of the entire year. Striped marlin fishing can remain excellent during winter months as well. If it gets too windy, you can take a windsurfing or kite boarding lesson, go mountain biking or hiking, rent ATVs, scuba dive, snorkel, swim, experience our canyon zip-lining course, go shopping, or simply relax by the pool with something good to read and drink. Let us know if you’re ready to ‘Escape The Cold’ this winter and enjoy a relaxing vacation on Baja’s tranquil East Cape.
East Cape Fishing Report! 11/1/12
Fishing is excellent in the Sea of Cortez right now. A mixed bag of yellowfin tuna, dorado, and some very nice wahoo make up the primary offshore catches of our delicious species to eat. Unfortunately, the average size of both the tuna and dorado is small: 10-20# ahi and ‘chicken’ mahi-mahi in a similar size range. Every so often, a bigger specimen shows up at the docks. At least the number of fish are good, so anglers are getting plenty of fillets to take home, and plenty of freshly prepared fish are making the rounds for bartime snacks and during evening meals as well.
Striped marlin action is steady. A few boats are enjoying multiple catch-and-release opportunities for stripers, and some big sailfish are showing up in trolling spreads. Blue marlin and black marlin are mostly absent. It just hasn’t been a good season for the big brutes this year, other than for a few weeks back in July and August when blue marlin action was consistent. This low catch rate for blue marlin is unusual for East Cape waters in October, even more so due to the fact that ample bait is available for big predators. This is usually primetime for blues, with the action lasting well into November.
Inshore, roosterfish action is hot’lots of numbers and some good size still available. Sierra mackerel’delicious table fare’also have returned for the fall season, making an inshore angling stop for a few hours of the fishing day well worth the effort.
Superb sea surface temperatures of 83-85 degrees make the Sea of Cortez a fantastic fishing spot right now.