East Cape Fishing Report! 11/14/14
We’ve enjoyed steady to spectacular fishing here on the East Cape in recent weeks. A good bite for dorado, fluctuating from a few fish on some days to limits on each boat on other days, leads the way. The fish are close-just offshore from the hotels, as well as near La Ribera and Punta Arena/Lighthouse Point. Fish range from small up to around 25 pounds for a big specimen, and are primarily biting on trolled lures, hootchies, and rigged ballyhoo.
Quite a few wahoo have been caught inshore as well, with fish up to about 40 pounds available. White bonita, schoolie yellowfin tuna, pargo, and quite a few sierra mackerel are rounding out the bite for our keeper species.
Offshore, fishing for both marlin and sailfish remains very good. Occasional blue marlin–up to as big as 400 pounds–are showing up in lure spreads, and numbers of both striped marlin and sailfish are tallying most of the catch-and-release action for billfish. Striped marlin are in the 90-130# range, and some huge sailfish over 100# are available as well. Fish are biting on trolled lures, rigged ballyhoo, and live bait. Multiple hookups are possible, and most boats fishing for marlin are releasing 2-6 fish per day. Random schools of small tuna also are roaming offshore.
Our peak season is winding down, but fishing remains excellent on the East Cape. Sea surface temperatures in our fishing grounds are still hovering around 80 degrees, and calm seas and blue skies make up the prevailing weather forecast. We hope to see you soon on the East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report! 9/1/14
Fishing remains steady on the East Cape! Dorado, yellowfin tuna, striped marlin, roosterfish, wahoo, sailfish, pargo, pompano, grouper, amberjack, and blue marlin are all being caught in East Cape waters. It’s a true “mixed bag” of gamefish, with some species better on some days than others. It really depends on what you want to fish for, and which direction you travel in our fishing grounds. Whether you choose inshore or offshore, or head north, east, or south from our hotels, something is biting nearby!
Most of the tuna are running small-in the 20-to-40 pound range, with a few bigger specimens mixed in. There are still some 100-pound-plus tuna in the Sea of Cortez! Best fishing has been to the south off of Los Frailes. As in a typical year, our best tuna fishing is yet to come in September and October.
Dorado are scattered far and wide, with lots of schoolie-sized fish as well as some larger bulls mixed in. A “big” dorado right now is weighing about 35 pounds.
Blue marlin have tapered a bit from the hot bite earlier this summer, but anglers targeting billfish are having good success with catch-and-release striped marlin as well as some beautiful sailfish. A few blues still are around. Black marlin are absent.
Sea surface temperatures are very high-87-89 degrees-across most of our fishing grounds. Daily air temps are usually breaking the 100 degree mark. Hot summer weather and hot summer fishing make it a great time to visit the East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report! 8/1/14
A slow start to our normally hot July fishing has given way to gathering momentum, and we are seeing signs of more ‘steady to spectacular’ fishing we are accustomed to on the East Cape. We have ups and downs as far as daily success, but overall the fishing is excellent! Nobody knows why the fishing was so good in June but didn’t get better from there in early July, as is the norm. But now we have a renewed head of steam going into late summer and fall!
Roosterfish are chomping bait and flies in the shallows, with many quality fish being caught and released. Fly anglers are enjoying particularly good success for this challenging species on fly rod. Plenty of 10-40# specimens available. Jack crevalle, ladyfish, huge needlefish, and triggerfish are mixed in with shallow water catches.
Offshore, trolling and live bait are producing the usual summer smorgasbord of blue water species. Yellowfin tuna action is hot, with fish all over the size range being caught, but 20-40# the most common size range. Dorado average size is below normal, with just a 33# specimen needed to win the annual Dorado Shootout on 7/19. Dorado are numerous, however.
Quite a few bigger blue marlin are being caught and released’we’ve had estimated weights of 200# up to 500# reported by anglers and crews. Striped marlin, big sailfish, and wahoo also are leading the charge for action offshore. The wahoo are 15-45# so some really good fishing there! We’ll see you this year on the East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report! 7/1/14
A crazy month of great June fishing just wrapped up. Up until about a week ago, it was looking like an epic tuna season was shaping up, with hoards of football-sized fish keeping everybody busy with lots of hookups, along with some really nice BIG yellowfin mixed into the game. We’ve seen numbers of tuna exceeding 100# so far this year, along with many more in the 50-80# range. There have been a few ups and downs overall in the consistency of the bite, and in the last week the big tuna have been absent, with just lots and lots of 30-pounders to reward anglers’ efforts.
Likewise for dorado. Lots of yellow dorado flags are flying from the outriggers in our boat fleet, and plenty of awesome mahi mahi are showing up in catches. We are seeing numbers of 30#, 40#, and even up to 50# bull dorado. This sets up well for the annual Dorado Shootout coming up in July!
Striped marlin fishing was totally nuts for the first half of June. Abundant billfish numbers are still out there’on some days boats are flying 4-6 catch-and-release flags for stripers, plus some nice Pacific sailfish and quite a few blue marlin are available for added excitement.
Inshore, roosterfishing is excellent for both numbers and size. We’ve seen quite a few 60-70# whoppers caught and released along with many, many more roosters smaller than that boastful size. Wahoo fishing is good, along with action for cabrilla and jack crevalle, and Capt. Mario on ‘Fresh Catch’ has put his charter guests on two pargo exceeding 50# in the past week’both from right in the stretch of water where our fleet is anchored offshore from the hotels!!
Live bait is abundant, with loads of sardines, ballyhoo, and mullet available for teasing and catching fish. All manner of angling tactics are producing results, depending on what species of fish you happen to be targeting. Plenty of trolled lure action, bait-n-switch tactics with lures/live & dead bait, drifting, and good success on the fly as well.
Sea surface temps are in the mid-80s and we’ve had a number of 100 degree air temps so far this summer. It’s plenty hot, but so is the world-class fishing here on the East Cape! When are you coming down to Baja?
East Cape Fishing Report! 6/1/14
Our guests continue to be delighted by the incredible fishing to start out our peak season this year. May has been an amazing month for overall fishing success, with multiple species on the prowl and the bite for some of our favorite target species in full swing.
Some of the best news is the early arrival of yellowfin tuna this summer. Last year, the fish showed up very late (consistent tuna bite didn’t get going full-bore until August), but this year yellowfin weighing 150# and 197# have already been caught. While the bite isn’t wide open, many tuna nonetheless are being hooked by boats in our fleet. The vast majority of tuna are in the football to 30# size ranges.
Striped marlin fishing has been absolutely crazy, and boats targeting billfish specifically were catching and releasing up to ten-plus fish per day. In the last week, the bite has slowed down tremendously’with many fish being spotted but not as many willing to bite. Average releases are 2-4 fish per day, with 6+ shots at hooked-up fish about average. Trolled lures and bait are triggering most fish.
Likewise for dorado fishing, which is wide open also. While boats are catching dorado each day, average size of fish is a bit low at around 25#, with a few bigger bulls showing up in creels. Wahoo fishing also has taken off in stride, with fish over 40# available.
Inshore, plenty of roosterfish, pargo, and jack crevalle are keeping anglers happy. With such a strong start to the hot summer fishing season, you can expect a banner year for fishing in the East Cape! If you haven’t made your travel arrangements yet, please act soon because availability of rooms and boats at our Hotels is very limited!
East Cape Fishing Report! 5/1/14
A rockin’ start to our Spring Fishing Season continues, with above-average sea surface temperatures, ample availability of bait, and multiple species on the prowl for East Cape anglers to target.
Leading the way are excellent numbers of dorado and striped marlin, with the former filling guests’ coolers for the trip home, and the latter enjoying angler emphasis on catch-and-release for all billfish in the Sea of Cortez. All of our fishing grounds are productive right now, with waters to the south typically the most consistent waters. Dorado numbers also are good to the north Fish mostly weigh in the 10-25# range but a few bigger specimens are starting to show up.
Most boats are enjoying multiple hookups on a daily basis for striped marlin, and a lot of big females in the 150#-plus range are adding to the angling fun. The stripers are invading the Sea of Cortez to spawn, and the fish are spread out far and wide in all directions out from our docks. A few sailfish are mixed in with billfish numbers.
Our biggest surprise for April was the appearance of some scattered schools of yellowfin tuna. The ahi were running with spinner dolphin, and some boats hooked tuna up to 40# which is pretty unusual for April in the Sea of Cortez! However, sea surface temps bumping into the high 70s’about 5 degrees above normal for this time of year’make it likely that even more consistent tuna fishing is right around the corner. We normally peg water temps of 80 degrees as ideal for the start of tuna season. With some tuna already here, the season for this species will start early in 2014.
Roosterfish have started to appear in consistent numbers. Some bigger fish 25#-plus are being caught and released from our inshore fishing grounds, especially near Punta Colorada and Punta Arena, as well as around the corner to Las Barracas to the south, and points north near El Cardonal and Bahia de los Muertos, It is already shaping up to be a banner summer fishing season for one of our most exotic species–roosters!
A few wahoo have been caught. Again, June normally kicks off wahoo season, but the fish already are showing up in angler catch rates. A few pargo, triggerfish, and cabrilla are mixed in with inshore catches.
With such variety and consistency in gamefish species already this Spring, 2014 looks to be a spectacular fishing year on the East Cape. With limited availability at the Hotels, you’re encouraged to finalize your trip and travel plans soon! We’ll see you on the East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report! 4/1/14
Above-average sea surface temperatures and overall infrequent northerly trade winds mean our great start to the 2014 fishing season continues!
Dorado fishing remains strong, with numbers of 10-25# fish showing up in angler catches. Mini-schools are being contacted by boats in our fleet, especially to the north off Punta Pescadero and in the vicinity of the commercial shark fishing buoys in these areas. However, good numbers of fish also are off La Ribera to the east, and to the south of Punta Arena/Lighthouse Point.
Striped marlin fishing is ramping up in tandem with warmer water conditions and bait availability. Catch-and-release is strongly emphasized for these apex predators, one of our most valuable sportfishing resources in the Sea of Cortez. Multiple hookups/releases are being reported by boats in our fleet.
We anxiously await the arrival of the first consistent numbers of roosterfish, which should occur very soon as our inshore waters reach the high 70s. A few stragglers are being reported, along with a few pargo/snappers. We’re already seeing sea surface temps as high as 77 degrees in some of our fishing grounds.
If you haven’t yet solidified your plans for fishing East Cape waters in 2014, we encourage you to book soon! Most of June, July, and October are already booked solid at the Hotels, and good stretches of May, August, and September are also filling up fast. We’ll see you soon on the East Cape!
East Cape Fishing Report! 3/6/14
We are coming off of a spectacular month of unseasonably warm weather here in the East Cape. In a normal year, our northerly trade winds blow with some consistency in February, pushing colder sea surface temperatures down the Baja Peninsula. This year, windsurfers and kiteboarders have been crying the blues because they’ve seen only a few windy days. In tandem with our calm conditions, we’ve seen a dramatic increase in water temps, with most of our fishing grounds in the 74-76 degree range (about six degrees above normal).
Anglers are enjoying bountiful catches of nice-sized dorado as a result. Most boats are reporting 3 to 10 fish per day, with average size 10- to 15-pounds. Some 20-pound plus bulls are mixed in with catches. Best success has been to the north off Punta Pescadero and toward Isla Cerralvo, but fishing spots to the east and south also are producing good numbers of fish.
Striped marlin are in the Sea of Cortez in good numbers as well, but large schools of squid are keeping the billfish fat and happy. A few catch-and-releases are starting to show up for anglers trolling lures, or casting rigged ballyhoo as dead bait to hook up the marlin.
Inshore, huge numbers of sierra mackerel are available for anglers trolling small Rapalas. Pargo fishing has been steady as well, and even a few roosterfish are starting to show up. While last February offered great fishing for yellowtail on the East Cape, this year’s warmer water conditions have apparently pushed the yellowtail much further north, out of reach of our fleet.
Spectacular weather beckons you to visit the East Cape, as we are basking in daytime temps in the high 70s, and overnight lows in the high 60s. Minus our trade winds, our weather makes for a great escape for our U.S. friends suffering from the ongoing brutal winter of 2013-14. We hope to see you on the East Cape very soon!
East Cape Fishing Report! 1/31/14
This month’s fishing report is brief, since January is an off-season month for us as far as angling opportunities. Very few people have been fishing. We have had warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures (low 70s) and are still hovering around 71-73 as of yesterday, so that bodes well for an uptick in angling success going forward. The preferred sea temps for striped marlin are mid-70s, and some billfish are already in our region. There are also reports of yellowtail starting to show up. Additionally, Sierra mackerel are a consistent winter species that make for delicious table fare.
Air temperatures have been beautiful, with 70s in the daytime and 60s overnight. The biggest variable in January is wind’as we tend to get quite a few days with our northerly trade winds blowing. |
Look for next month’s report to feature a lot more action and fishing success!
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!