Cortez Yacht Charters Weekly Mexico Fishing Report

Week ended 04/04/19

THE CABO SAN LUCAS FISHING REPORT FOR THE GAVIOTA SPORT FISHING FLEET AND FISH CABO FLEET

Another week of improved fishing heading into the new moon and with more consistently warmer water temperatures and clearer water. The Striped Marlin fishing was mostly on the Pacific side with most boats averaging 1-2 fish per day. The Yellowfin Tuna success was also on the Pacific side and counts were up with many limits of “football” tuna in 15-30 lb range reported.  The Dorado were again a bit scarce but with the outlook much improved as the water warms up both outside and inside. The Wahoo seemed to turn off with only spotty success reported. A few bonus acrobatic Makos were reported off the San Jamie and Golden Gate banks. The inside fishing was very productive with some great counts of quality Snappers, Groupers, and Yellowtail into the 30 lb range.

The Striped Marlin fishing success on the Pacific side concentrated around the Golden Gate and San Jamie Banks. Overall, the fleets reported consistent Striped Marlin results with most boats averaging 1-2 fish per day. The Yellowfin were readily found around the Golden Gate and San Jamie banks to the west but the action was slow around the Gordos to the east.

Inshore fishing was really solid with nice catches of schools of Skipjacks with the Sierras and Jacks showing in good numbers from Solmar to El Arco and around toward Migrino. Roosters were spotty this past week.  Quality sized Yellowtail to 30 lbs are hitting on live baits. Some nice catches of Sierras were reported off Migrino. Some very nice catches of Red Snappers were also reported fishing close to the rocks around El Arco.

Cabo Climate:  March was a bit cooler and windier than normal with a mix of mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies with late March and early April warming a bit with mostly overcast skies. The future outlook toward mid April is for warming and pleasant average daytime temps in the upper 70’s and evenings in the mid 60’s. The 2 week forecast is for mostly sunny to partly cloudy sunny skies with zero chance of rain forecast through mid to late April. Winds are expected to continue in the low teens in the 11-14 mph range late April mostly out of the West and SW.  Humidity is expected to run in the upper 60’s.

Sea Conditions:  Seas have been relatively calm in the mornings throughout the area with some swells and chop showing up in the afternoons as breezes increase.  Forecast is for more of the same with winds in the 11-14 mph range from the West and SW. The Pacific side sea temps stabilized considerably with average temperature range running 72-74 and the inside also warmed with temps in the 72-73 range around the Gordos.

Best Fishing Areas:  The Marlin hot spots this past week were on the Pacific side and shifted offshore a bit. Action on the inside around toward the Gordos was slow and spotty this past week.  The Golden Gate and the San Jamie banks were the prime Striper destination this past week.  The Yellowfin were most often found around the Golden Gate and San Jamie banks while action around the Gordos slowed significantly.  The best catches of Dorado seemed to be on the inside off Palmilla and Punta Gorda.  

Favorite Baits: Slow trolling live mackerel was the favorite for the Marlin. Cedar plugs were the favorite for the Yellowfin along with feathers. Hoochies were by far the preferred and most productive lures for the Sierras. Poppers near the surf were the most successful bait for the Jacks and Roosters. Dead bait was the ticket for the Snappers and Groupers. Live Caballitos were the best for the Yellowtail.

Bait Supply: Live bait is available at the $3.00 per bait upon exit from the harbor. Mackerel, when available, are popular with the captains.

Our local reporters: Captain Roberto Marquez-Castro of the Fish Cabo Fleet and Gaviota Fleet Dock Manager Carlos Pena-Mirales. 

 

THE MAZATLAN REPORT FOR THE ARIES SPORT FISHING FLEET – MARINA EL CID AND El CID MEGA RESORT, PACIFIC

The Yellowfin once again added to the success of their offshore fishing and the Striped Marlin are seasonally out numbering the Sailfish that Mazatlan is known for. Their inshore fishing continued to produce solid results. Tourist activity was down just a bit this past week but the El Cid fleet was busy with many first time anglers that rewarded with good action.

The offshore boats reported a mix of Striped Marlin, Sailfish, and Yellowfin Tuna. The Yellowfin Tuna had a solid showing later in the week. The inshore boats had another big week and reported good action on Snappers, Sea Bass and Queen Triggers whether on 4 hour or 6 hour trips.

The El Cid fleet fished a total of 24 offshore days and 10 Super Panga inshore trips.  They reported 9 Striped Marlin, 6 Sailfish, and 24 Yellowfin from offshore. Inshore, they reported 168 Snappers, 98 Sea Bass, and 12 Queen Triggerfish and 8 Jacks.

Mazatlan Climate: March was cooler than normal but the April outlook is favorable with low 80’s daytime and low 60’s in the evenings. The forecast through mid to late April is for mostly sunny with a few partly cloudy skies with breezes in a modest  9-11 mph range primarily out of the West trending toward the SW later in April.  Humidity is predicted to be in the mid 60’s going into early April for very pleasant fishing conditions. There is only a 10% chance of precipitation forecast over the next couple of weeks and that concentrated in a 2 day period.

Sea Conditions: The water has warming a bit and is now in the 72-74 degree range resulting in a seasonal showing of the Striped Marlin but fewer Sailfish sightings until the water warms again a bit. On longer runs out to 25 miles they are finding 75 degree water. The past week Mazatlan had mostly calm seas with some afternoon swells and chop with winds in the teens. The future outlooks is for relatively calm seas in the mornings with some afternoon swells and chop as the winds pick up in the afternoons.

Best Fishing Area: The offshore bite for the billfish is starting about 10-12 miles out with best results to the west and southwest of the Marina El Cid. The Yellowfin are being found a bit further out toward the 15-25 mile mark. In shore, the Super Pangas are finding success all along the coast especially around the rocks. The water is very clear from the shore out to the offshore breaks.

Best Bait & Lures:  Freshly caught rigged trolling baits and smoke trail lures produced best results for the billfish. The Tuna are being caught on feathers and cedar plugs.

Bait Supply: Freshly caught baits are readily available from the bait boats

Our Local Reporter: Ms. Kitcia Berenice Ceja-Diaz, the Aries Fleet and Marina El Cid Office Manager and fishing reporter

 

THE IXTAPA-ZIHUATANEJO FISHING REPORT FOR THE INDEPENDENT SPORT FISHING FLEET

This was an exceptional week for Zihuatanejo! The independent fleet reported a great week of mixed bite on the Striped Marlin along with some smaller Blue Marlin combined with solid Sailfish action. The Yellowfin were again found way out at the 30-35 mile mark for those willing to go the extra distance.  The Dorado were spotty this past week. Fly-fishing and spinning rigs for Jacks, Chulas (False Albacore) and Bonitos inshore has continued to be steady. Rooster action this past week was spotty but still successful.   Capt Temo reports the inshore fishing for Jacks remained HOT! Large schools of quality Jacks were reported off the white rocks. Fishing activity was up a bit as more fishermen showed at the docks to take advantage of the fabulous billfish action. They are getting ready for a large influx of local Mexican tourists for their 2 week Semana Santa holiday.

The action this past week started at the 10 mile mark and the overall action was solid this past week with most of the boats reporting at least 1-2 Sailfish for their clients along with many Striped Marlin and smaller Blue Marlin.  The Yellowfin were found 30-35 miles out well past the 1000 fathom mark with fish in the 50--75 lb range. The Blue Marlin and Striped Marlin moved in as close as 12 miles out just past the prime Sailfish bite and were very active this past week likely equaling the Sailfish bite. Inshore the Bonito the Jacks were very aggressive for some fantastic fly fishing opportunities.  The White Rocks was again a hot spot this past week for the big Jacks with large schools of fish reported. The best Rooster counts when found were again to the south toward Vicente Guerrero.

IZ Climate: They are headed into their early spring climate with a mix of mostly sunny to partly cloudy days. The 2 week outlook is for even warmer temps and mostly sunny skies. Daily temps are predicted in the upper 80’s and night time temps in the low to mid 70’s with humidity expected to run in the 70’s through mid to late April. They are now in their dry season and there is no precipitation projected over the couple of weeks. The winds are expected to be relatively mild in the 8-11 mph range primarily from the West and WSW. 

Sea Conditions: The spring offshore water temperature stabilized and is now in the 83 degrees range from the 5-6 mile mark at the 100 fathom line all the way out to the 1,000 fathom line at 25-30 miles.  These temps are beginning to bring in the Blue Marlin and Yellowfin in larger numbers. Inshore temperatures have warmed a bit and are now at 81-82. The offshore clear blue water has recently moved as close as 5-6 miles out with some very deep blue water now at the 1000 fathom mark at 32-35 miles out. Inshore, the water is a bit cooler and clearing each week. With breezes in the upper single digits, the seas are very calm particularly in the mornings.

Best Baits & Lures:  Rigged trolling baits and smoke trail lures continue to produce for the Billfish and Dorado with most boats preferring a mix of rigged baits for the Billfish and smaller lures and feathers for the Dorado.   Inshore top water poppers are the favorite for the Roosterfish, Bonito and Jacks. Cedar plugs and feathers are working best on the Yellowfin when found.

Bait Supply: The bait supply remains good and freshly caught baits are provided gratis with most charters. Live baits are readily available at this time and are $5.00/dozen paid directly to the bait vendors.

Our Local Reporter: Captain Temo Verboonen – owner/operator of the Secuestro de Amor and Macho Banana.

 

CANCUN/PUERTO MORELOS FISHING REPORT FOR THE EL CID MARINA

Our friends at the El Cid Resort & Marina reported a busy and successful week with family spring break activity. With the close-in fishing available at Puerto Morelos many clients opted for the 4 hour or 6 hour shallow reef trips with other opting for the 6 hour or 8 hour offshore trips.

We did not get the detailed spreadsheet report this past week but our friends at the El Cid Marina reported overall great results for the tourists on Spring Break. Due to the seasonal weather with occasional showers and thunderstorms, many anglers were opting for ½ day fishing at the very productive shallow reefs.  Overall, the close-in fishing available at Puerto Morelos continues to produce great action both offshore and inshore for our clients, many fishing for the first time on half day or 6 hour trips. 

The offshore bit was highlighted by another solid showing the spring Sailfish migration and solid counts of Mahi-Mahi on almost every trip along with a mix of King Mackerel and Giant Atlantic Barracuda, along with some Blackfin Tuna. The close in reef fishing continued to produce strong catches of Chack-Chi (Caribbean Snappers), Mutton Snappers, Black Groupers, Queen Triggerfish and a few Amberjacks. The marina reported an average catch of 5-10 fish per trip depending on the length of the trip.

PM/Cancun Climate:  Occasional brief scattered early morning or late afternoon thunderstorms continued with the early spring seasonal weather pattern.  The extended forecast into mid April calls for an improvement toward their spring/summer weather with a mix of mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies coupled with scattered occasional showers or isolated afternoon thunderstorms.  Daytime temperatures are predicted on a warming trend into the mid to upper 80’s and evenings in the mid 70’s.  Humidity is expected to be in the mid 70’s. Winds are expected to be modest in the 8-15 mph range shifting primarily out of the ESE through mid to late April.

Sea Conditions:  Water temperatures in the Cancun-Puerto Morelos-Cozumel have been at their seasonal coolest and are now starting to warm again and are running in the 81-82 degree range. Seas are running from calm to a bit choppy depending on the weather conditions.   The prevailing winds have shifted toward their spring pattern and are predicted to be out of the ESE at 8-15 MPH with some late afternoon swells and chop expected with the higher winds.

Best Bait & Lures:  Rigged Ballyhoo, small smoke trail lures were working well for the billfish with feathers also working for the Mahi-Mahi, King Mackerel and Giant Barracuda.  Cut bait is the preferred fare for the reef fishing.

Bait Supply:  The bait supply of locally caught Ballyhoo remains good and are provided gratis with most charters.

Our Local Reporter:  Victoria Garcia at the Hotel El Cid Spa & Beach Resort and Marina