BRRRRRRRRR!! Watch out for icebergs! Cabo is passing the coldest weather that I can remember. Strong winds out of the north and a wicked fast current are keeping the surface temps a full 10 degrees lower than the average of years past. This has been the strangest season I can remember. I have only been here for 11 years, but gents much saltier than myself are saying the same. This could be the coolest year on record. This is a game changer to say the least. The good news is the readily available bait schools. The fish are confused, the need to move to warmer waters to metabolize is being overridden by the abundance of available food. The currents are moving very fast and warm water pockets are being pushed and relocated by the currents. The best way to be successful is to be prepared, chart the surface temps, drift rate, and bait locations and be in the right place at the right time. Once there be ready and be efficient as a marlin that would typically feed three or four times an hour may only feed twice per day. For billfish find them and stay with them, the key to success is finesse. Going easy will give you an opportunity to bait the fish a number of times hopefully catching them when they are ready to eat. What is challenging for billfish makes for great tuna fishing, the stains are a good ways off shore, but well worth the run. The cold-water breaks are numerous and cut with a knife by these currents once you find the porpoise you can catch tuna all day long. These trips are specialty trips and should be taken for ten to twelve hours with the understanding that it is hit or miss; the tuna are much farther out than anything else. If you are going to make the run out there it is essential to stay out long enough to locate them, once on them the bite will wear out even the most eager group of anglers in two to three hours. The play it safe method is satisfying as well the dorado bite is steady and these buggers are happy to feed! A typical day on the water will net you two or three nice dorados, a chance or two at a finicky marlin and a handful of sierra mackerel inshore. Even when the fishing is tough in Cabo it is world class.!
Good Luck and Tight Lines
Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
Jason Smith
General Manager
Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
US 770 573 0334 MEX 011 52 1 624 155 8656
jason@slipperylizzardsportfishing.com
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Cabo Fishing Report January 23, 2012
All of the saltier folks down here in Cabo have their feelers out for as much information as they can get from up north. All eyes are on Magdelena bay as we are trying to determine the number of striped marlin and pacific sailfish we will see this season. Cabo is known as the marlin capitol of the world due to the fact that we have Marlin Year round. We do have two peak seasons however, one in the summer and one in the winter. The summer season is more well known as this is the season for the monster blue and black marlin, but the winter season is when the action really heats up!! An average day charter between the end of January and the mid March can have release numbers of 20 plus marlin per boat per day!! The key is aggressive navigation, attention to all the technology you can get your hands on and a never ending supply of live bait with a well practiced crew that move and cast in unison. It really is a ballet of the high seas, with information coming from the satellites first then utilizing the radar on board to spot birds farther out than the eye can see. The next bit is a breakneck run to the location of the birds, once you arrive it is an experience all its own as the Captain maneuvers the boat in ways you would never think possible and the crew uses the direction of the diving birds and the clues given off by the pursuing sea lions to know which direction the hard packed shoal (the balled up schools of bait fish) are moving. The bait fish are balled up and running because they are being herded and pushed to the surface by pods of circling striped marlin. As the marlin push the bait fish into an ever shrinking column of water and approach the surface they create an explosion on the surface of feeding marlin, sea lions and birds. You then join the dance and add a boat with live baits being thrown in the precise location of the bait balls movement, careful to avoid the birds and sea lions as bait fish cost 3 dollars a piece! An experienced crew that is willing to work hard can, in proper conditions can keep the livewell full and two or three anglers hooked up at a time for hours on end. Some of the winter crews down here can run 20 hookups per hour with a three mate team and six anglers cranking like mad. The key to a good winter season is teamwork, preparation, and a strong work ethic. The things to look for in a good charter crew for big numbers of striped marlin are three to four open faced reels in the bait casting class, two speeds are preferable, lots of pre rigged section of leader material and circle hooks and a separate rod and reel set up with a sabiki rig for catching baits out on the water.
As I said all eyes are up north right now and the rest of the research is being done here at home, one thing is knowing how many are coming the next step is determining how much bait is around and what kind of water temps are we seeing in the past couple of weeks and what can we expect in the weeks to come? These factors will determine how long we will be able to hold the fish that move south. If the water is cold and the numbers of bait fish are low the swarm will come in wipe out the bait schools we have on hand and move on to warmer waters and larger bait schools. If we have nice warm water and heavy supplies of bait we can expect to hold huge numbers of fish and hold them for months on end, until the squid show up in mid march.
This year looks like it will be a moderate year, bait schools are rebounding. Mackerel numbers are still vey low, but caboitas are readily available. The bad news this year is the water temps, they are unseasonably low which gives us a slower metabolism rate for our marlin. This means the fish will be here they just will not be able to feed very fast, they will be on the surface waiting for the last meal to digest while the next two or three meals get cast right to them. (this is good in one way as it does not allow the marlin to swarm the bait fish and diminish their numbers) This keeps the fish in our area for a longer amount of time and we will see a ton of them. The name of the game will be timing and perseverance. Once a fish is located it must be baited and tracked for as long as possible, it may not eat on the first attempt or two, but it will eat again. Look for a team of guys that have all the data they can get their hands on and work a large area and be willing to fish later in the day, once the rest of the fleets move off the ratio of fish to free meals moves in your favor. Good luck and tight lines
Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
As I said all eyes are up north right now and the rest of the research is being done here at home, one thing is knowing how many are coming the next step is determining how much bait is around and what kind of water temps are we seeing in the past couple of weeks and what can we expect in the weeks to come? These factors will determine how long we will be able to hold the fish that move south. If the water is cold and the numbers of bait fish are low the swarm will come in wipe out the bait schools we have on hand and move on to warmer waters and larger bait schools. If we have nice warm water and heavy supplies of bait we can expect to hold huge numbers of fish and hold them for months on end, until the squid show up in mid march.
This year looks like it will be a moderate year, bait schools are rebounding. Mackerel numbers are still vey low, but caboitas are readily available. The bad news this year is the water temps, they are unseasonably low which gives us a slower metabolism rate for our marlin. This means the fish will be here they just will not be able to feed very fast, they will be on the surface waiting for the last meal to digest while the next two or three meals get cast right to them. (this is good in one way as it does not allow the marlin to swarm the bait fish and diminish their numbers) This keeps the fish in our area for a longer amount of time and we will see a ton of them. The name of the game will be timing and perseverance. Once a fish is located it must be baited and tracked for as long as possible, it may not eat on the first attempt or two, but it will eat again. Look for a team of guys that have all the data they can get their hands on and work a large area and be willing to fish later in the day, once the rest of the fleets move off the ratio of fish to free meals moves in your favor. Good luck and tight lines
Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Cabo Fishing Report, November 22
The right place at the right time, in the end that is what it still all comes down to. Not to spend too much time getting philosophical about it but maybe that is why fishing is so damn fun. In the end the months of preparation, charting, practicing, strategics can all mean bumpkins and the winning fish comes down to plain old luck!! I took some time to get my voice back and re group after tourney season this year. The final weeks of October have come and gone and all the triumph and heartbreak has packed up and moved on until next year, and dammit we wont change a thing!! That is the name of the game and what keeps you coming back for more. Congrats to all of this years winners and we will see you all next year.
We are back to doing what we do best, putting people on the fish! We are switching gears into the winter season and getting ready to welcome back the whales. The striped marlin are moving on down the coast from mag bay and will be gracing the golden gate in a matter of weeks. This is what cabo really became famous for is the sheer number of feeding striped marlin and sails that can be found within a short 20 minute run from the marina. The striped marlin fishery has been in recovery for the last two years following a catastrophic loss of bait fish a few years back. The numbers of mackarel, and caboitas are returning to where they used to be and water conditions are certainly optimum for attracting and holding a large number of billfish. We are gearing up with extra bait cast rods and putting into place a few new ploicies as a company regarding a second bait set to swim on every hook up in hopes of more double headers. You will go through twice as many baits and it sure keeps the mate busy, but it keeps more folks busy on the stick.
As we wait for the stripes to come on home we are keeping very busy with loads of dorado everywhere. The entire coast on the pacific side is teeming with fish, and they are hitting on anything dragged through the water. Typical numbers are in the double digits and can be accomplished in a matter of an hour or two. The back side of Gordo banks has been home of the monsters over the last week. Multiple yellowfin tuna have been landed in the 300lb plus range. The average size fish has been bettter than 50lbs and really is some of the best tuna fishing I can remember. They are chomping down live and dead baits. Get them feeding on the dead baits and as much chum as can be lined down between breaks in the wind and let the liveys out to swim and chances are you will be busy for the next two hours as you watch the fish pinwheel again and loose a couple hundred yds. of line. Thanks Tuna, for building bigger forearm muscles all over the east cape!!
To make a long story short the change in season is here, the big marlin have moved on and we are ready to start catching the billfish in numbers and fill coolers with yellowfin tuna and non stop dorado action. Bar none the best day charter fishing on the planet for the next five months. Keep your attention on the first mates in this season as the fish are everywhere it is the guys in the cockpit that make the difference in this season. You want sharp hardworking competitive guys that can cast and lay a bait like a marksman. Go fish with a gunslinger and try to keep up!!
S.L.
Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
We are back to doing what we do best, putting people on the fish! We are switching gears into the winter season and getting ready to welcome back the whales. The striped marlin are moving on down the coast from mag bay and will be gracing the golden gate in a matter of weeks. This is what cabo really became famous for is the sheer number of feeding striped marlin and sails that can be found within a short 20 minute run from the marina. The striped marlin fishery has been in recovery for the last two years following a catastrophic loss of bait fish a few years back. The numbers of mackarel, and caboitas are returning to where they used to be and water conditions are certainly optimum for attracting and holding a large number of billfish. We are gearing up with extra bait cast rods and putting into place a few new ploicies as a company regarding a second bait set to swim on every hook up in hopes of more double headers. You will go through twice as many baits and it sure keeps the mate busy, but it keeps more folks busy on the stick.
As we wait for the stripes to come on home we are keeping very busy with loads of dorado everywhere. The entire coast on the pacific side is teeming with fish, and they are hitting on anything dragged through the water. Typical numbers are in the double digits and can be accomplished in a matter of an hour or two. The back side of Gordo banks has been home of the monsters over the last week. Multiple yellowfin tuna have been landed in the 300lb plus range. The average size fish has been bettter than 50lbs and really is some of the best tuna fishing I can remember. They are chomping down live and dead baits. Get them feeding on the dead baits and as much chum as can be lined down between breaks in the wind and let the liveys out to swim and chances are you will be busy for the next two hours as you watch the fish pinwheel again and loose a couple hundred yds. of line. Thanks Tuna, for building bigger forearm muscles all over the east cape!!
To make a long story short the change in season is here, the big marlin have moved on and we are ready to start catching the billfish in numbers and fill coolers with yellowfin tuna and non stop dorado action. Bar none the best day charter fishing on the planet for the next five months. Keep your attention on the first mates in this season as the fish are everywhere it is the guys in the cockpit that make the difference in this season. You want sharp hardworking competitive guys that can cast and lay a bait like a marksman. Go fish with a gunslinger and try to keep up!!
S.L.
Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Cabo Fishing Report, September 17
"I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you".... That about sums it up down here at land's end. We are in the fish, heavy. Even with the late summer season being accounted for the fishing is unusually good this year. We have been enjoying the perfect balance of surface sea temps, just hot enough to keep the fish movin' and shakin', but not hot enough to suck in a bunch of tropical storms. We have had no port closures due to tropical cyclones and therefore the bait fish and plankton plumes have not been subject to any unexpected dramatic fluctuation in water temps or barometric pressure. With steady bait and prime water the Marlin have been able to steadily metabolize, the fish are staying put and bulking up!! All of this comes together for beautifully for the tournaments. This is going to change the game plan as far as strategy goes on those tourneys that are decided on marlin alone the winners will not be decided on one big fish, rather on the combined weight of a group of qualifying fish. Read the rules, the thing to watch for this year will be how many fish you can weigh per day. Different from years previous, we are seeing multiple blues daily and they are fat! It may be necessary on day two and three to not hang a 350lb or 380lb, if the rest of the field has already put up a 500 +. long story short make sure you remember your thinking caps, cause this year strategy is going to play a much larger role than in years previous! On the normal charter front we have a ton of happy anglers down here, its like a burger joint, pull up to the counter place your order and you get it hot and fresh!! Everything is available and biting, you just have to tweak it a little on where you need to run, and what you plan on dragging. The only species that are a little thin are the Dorados, however when hooked up they are sizable. 60lb bulls are being landed daily, the lack of storms has left us with very little floating debris on the water so the dorado are all being hooked up on the troll. Best bet is to have a variety in size on your spread and run a few extra lines to pick up the bonus fish. If you are after a big blue or black have a few small lures running far back and pick up a dorado or wahoo for dinner, and vice versa, if you are looking for steadier action on the day run a full spread of your typical medium sized plugs but run some jumbos out long in case you come across a big boy out there!!Get out on the water and have a blast, and for all of you tourney anglers re visit the rule book and plan on working it this year, to win you will need to hang few!!!
Tight Lines!
Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
Tight Lines!
Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Cabo Fishing Report September 1, 2011
Like the sound of unseen war drums through jungle foliage, it is coming! The Cabo Tournament season is upon us. It appears that all departments have gotten the memo.
In the last 10 days the, the dockside onlookers have seen 20+ yellowfin tuna over 100lbs. Some of the largest are over 200lbs and the top two were twins caught in the same location, on the same day, but on different vessels coming in at 273lbs. The yellowfin are under porpoise starting 12 miles out on the 180 line due south and are grouped stain after stain about two miles apart up to 70 miles out. They are running fairly organized grouped tightly to an average size per stain. If you catch one 50lbs, count on catching a bunch in that range and capping out in size at 70 to 80lbs. As you move in to the bigger fish it really is a jaw dropper to see a school of feeding aggressive tunas in the 150lb range!!
Dorado are grouped tightly together and are spread much wider than the tunas. The dorado can be found within a mile or so of each of the sea mounds at any given time and the only time you notice them in numbers is when they are being decimated by feeding blue and black marlin. One angler told the tale of spotting free jumping dorado in the 10 to 20lb range off of the port side of his vessel, 200 yds in front of them. The captain made short work of the distance and they were in time to get the show of a lifetime, a black marlin in the estimated range of "gigantic", or "effing huge man"(upon further interrogation the captain estimated her size to be 600+)gorged herself slashing and stunning multiple dorado and turning back and swallowing the immobilized fish. The dorado are hitting on trolled lures and are ranging in size from 10lbs to 60lbs. If the whole day is spent working the dorado once you get on them they can be had in double digits, however it is just as fun to take what you get and move on to the next species.
Wahoo are starting to show up, but not in any specific numbers or in any specific location. All are coming in in good size range between 30 to 60lbs. Not yet big enough to run an entire charter wahoo fishing, but always a welcome addition to the row of flags as, Whats for dinnner?, is no longer a question.
Now on to the big money species, literally. For those who do not know in the last two weeks in October a total of 3,000,000.00 usd will be handed out on the backs of blue and black marlin weighing over 300lbs. The stripes are here and are cooperative, for those who just want to have a great day two or three stripes can be released on a day in typical Cabo fashion. Sighting surface feeders or tailers and live baiting them. Folks with a little heavier action on their mind are in luck as well, easy to go out and make awesome baits by running to the tuna and seeking out the stains with the footballs and double footballs and firing up the tuna tubes to keep em fresh. Trolling in between stains will turn up a dorado or two and running smaller lures with bright colors early in the morning usually turns up a few little cow dorados as well. Within an hour no sweat you can have all your tubes filled with sweet fresh baits and a couple on ice to make some sashimi while you switch out gear for the big plugs. trollimg time for crews who have their stuff together has been ranging anywhere between 4 to 8 hours between strikes. This is great practice for tourney time. Guys have plenty of shots to drop some lives back, while developing a rhythm and a communication base. Everyone can get their jobs down and sharpen up before the money is on the line.
Even on normal charters where the goal is not a monster they are being raised and hitting lures on about one out of every five normal trips. As we wind down the season the guys to watch out for are the guys already with their 80's out, the guys with the clipboards and have switched from the VHF to the cell phones while talking on the water. The guys who are doing the homework, the leg work and are holding their cards close to their chest are the guys that are going to pull lady luck out of as much as the process as possible.
I don't care what anyone says, being in the right place at the right time is completely out of our hands. However, what happens when that baby is up in your spread eyeballing your lures and smacking around your spread is completely up to the SKILL and the EXPERIENCE of the guys in the cockpit and at the helm. When booking a charter crew to fish with in the tourney, ask them how long they have been preparing. Ask when the last time they had the 80's out and the bent butts screwed on, take a look at their favorite blue marlin lure,is there rust on the hook? Ask for new line on each tourney reel, ask for a contingency plan if there is mechanical issues on the water. Talk ton the crew, tell a joke or two. Tourney days are long trolling all day is not non stop action it is more fun if you have fun guys to fish with. Once the deal is cut always fish a few practice days, don't waste them drunk, fish it as a true dress rehearsal.
In summary fishing is amazing, Cabo at its finest fish all over the place, but from here until November 10 don't expect me to tell you where they are at!!
Tight Lines, we'll see you in the winners circle!
Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
Monday, August 8, 2011
Cabo Fishing Report, August 8
Been away for far too long. For starters, fishing is out of sight here at Land's End! You name it we've got it. The perfect charter day, Start the morning off with a short run up the Pacific to los arches and start trolling for Dorado, expect early morning action with a handful of Mahi in the 30 to 40 lb range. As you work your way to the south side of Golden Gate switch up tackle to some ilanders with small baits, and cedar plugs and work the porpoise for yellowfin tuna. We have been landing yellowfin in the 80 to 150 lob range for the last two weeks. Don't be shocked by the occasional monster of 200 to 300 lbs!!! The Afternoon has been blessed with a steady bite on billfish with large numbers of striped Marlin, Sailfish, Blue , and Black Marlin. Make sure to start out with plenty of live bait and don't fish with anyone who is not ready to catch more on the water.(Sabiki rigs, and Bait nets) If youve never caught a roosterfish let your captain know and pull up inshore on the way back in and make good use of your remaining live baits, the roosters love the smaller goggle eyes. They are not record size, but they are plentiful. Just one more addition to a world class day. I guess the name of the game is, BE READY FOR ANYTHING! It is not too early in he season for the big boys, they are rising from the depths and knocking em down about one every four or five charters. Keep something in the water big enough for em to chew on, let it run out long and don't be suprised if it goes off. From a tour providers standpoint it is smart to drag something meaty with a big enough rig, just so you don't get spooled and lose your lure and a couple hundred bucks in line. Over the month we have been off blog Cabo has had 20 plus fish ovedr 500 lbs and probably 250 tunas over 100 lbs. We are shaping up for a great tournament season. We will be posting four or five more reports on tournament prep and vessel selection as long as a few words on each tourney themselves. It is all about communication as Dr. Phil would say. Tourney fishing is like marriage, when its good there is nothing better, but when it's bad... oh boy it can be a kick in the nuts. Stay tuned this week for all the upcoming tips, and speaking of staying tuned check us out on Arctic Cat Outdoors with Kieth Dailey and the boys from the pursuit channel on direct TV, if you miss it there just copy and paste this url and watch us on line on pursuits website....http://www.pursuitchannel.com/ShowDetail.asp?ShowID=10
Tight Lines from Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
Tight Lines from Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing
Monday, July 4, 2011
Cabo Fishing Report, July 4th
Happy 4th of July!! A big thanks to all of the troops overseas and all of our men and women in the armed services that won't be at a BBQ with their families. Summer fishing at its finest! Cabo has it all, as easy as the drive thru at a fast food restaurant. "We would like one marlin, two dorado and five tunas, and could you supersize that marlin please?" Tuna, dorado, wahoo, striped marlin, sailfish, and blue marlin are all available and biting. The hardest part is deciding what you would like to fish for. The water conditions are still better in the Sea of Cortez, but this will not hold for long, the Pacific is warming up and bait is moving in that direction. Within a week or two there will be plenty of fish on both sides of the peninsula.
Typical charter production is much as it has been, a couple of billfish for the anglers interested in trophy fish, and the numbers of either tuna or dorado depend greatly upon the amount of time spent fishing for them. Anglers can easily limit out on a species and then move on to the next one on the list. Bring plenty of cold drinks and better double or triple the amount of ice you would normally bring to keep your fillets fresh. Hot spots are the 95, 1150, and the gordo banks. This does not tie you to these specific spots as changing trolling speeds and locations has produced some nice Wahoos as well. I recommend taking advantage of the conditions when they are this good as a ton of practice can be completed when the fish are so thick. One day when the bite is this hot is like a week of fishing under normal conditions. An angler and a crew can gain some serious ground in working as a solid unit with this many hookups. For serious anglers it is a great time to hold off on the beer until the run back in and take one more pass at that bait ball or stain and work on technique.
Tournament ready, that is the name of the game here at Slippery Lizzard. The fish are here, we just need to make sure we are doing everything possible to get the biggest ones we can. The process of data collection has begun. This year we want to take advantage of the dailies as well as the jackpots, being able to hang a few fish really is fun. Communication is key, we are sticking to our teams. The crews that are fishing together now will be in the same groups until mid November and we are also adding the third man now so when mid October rolls around we have a well oiled machine. As we move to this setup we have a Captain, a wire man, and a gaff man. This gives the guys the ability to add one more set of hands to the cockpit. We are focusing on not just getting into the tunas, but then sinking some baits and running some variety as far as lures go when we are in them and seeing what works. The guys are getting their own personal roles identified and then tweaking the process to get the best results. The idea is to be able to come upon Tuna and Dorado and quickly pull one out of the pack that is larger than the others and getting her bagged, iced and salted. Then get back to raising a big blue or black.
S.L.
Typical charter production is much as it has been, a couple of billfish for the anglers interested in trophy fish, and the numbers of either tuna or dorado depend greatly upon the amount of time spent fishing for them. Anglers can easily limit out on a species and then move on to the next one on the list. Bring plenty of cold drinks and better double or triple the amount of ice you would normally bring to keep your fillets fresh. Hot spots are the 95, 1150, and the gordo banks. This does not tie you to these specific spots as changing trolling speeds and locations has produced some nice Wahoos as well. I recommend taking advantage of the conditions when they are this good as a ton of practice can be completed when the fish are so thick. One day when the bite is this hot is like a week of fishing under normal conditions. An angler and a crew can gain some serious ground in working as a solid unit with this many hookups. For serious anglers it is a great time to hold off on the beer until the run back in and take one more pass at that bait ball or stain and work on technique.
Tournament ready, that is the name of the game here at Slippery Lizzard. The fish are here, we just need to make sure we are doing everything possible to get the biggest ones we can. The process of data collection has begun. This year we want to take advantage of the dailies as well as the jackpots, being able to hang a few fish really is fun. Communication is key, we are sticking to our teams. The crews that are fishing together now will be in the same groups until mid November and we are also adding the third man now so when mid October rolls around we have a well oiled machine. As we move to this setup we have a Captain, a wire man, and a gaff man. This gives the guys the ability to add one more set of hands to the cockpit. We are focusing on not just getting into the tunas, but then sinking some baits and running some variety as far as lures go when we are in them and seeing what works. The guys are getting their own personal roles identified and then tweaking the process to get the best results. The idea is to be able to come upon Tuna and Dorado and quickly pull one out of the pack that is larger than the others and getting her bagged, iced and salted. Then get back to raising a big blue or black.
S.L.
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