REPORT FROM GARY GRAHAM'S BAJA ON THE FLY: PROVIDING QUALITY SALTWATER FLY-FISHING 365 DAYS A YEAR IN BAJA FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: [email protected]; USA toll-free (800) 919-2252; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373 Wed., Jan. 29, 2003 EAST CAPE, MAGDALENA BAY AND ZIHUATANEJO CONDITIONS EAST CAPE, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO IN GENERAL: Wind one day and none the next. But if you pick the right day the fishing is pretty special. Dorado and tuna again dominated the catches with limits all around for the few boats that went out. Yesterday (1/28), outdoor writer Gene Kira, Baja columnist for Western Outdoors publications, took a morning off from his reporting schedule and demonstrated once again why his Baja Catch is so popular. Using the same techniques he describes in his book, he caught more tuna and dorado than you could shake a Rebel lure at. Even with all of my encouragement I understand he still left his flyrod in the case! Yvonne and I are in San Mateo for the International Sportsman Exposition (ISE Show) and have our booth (#1432) set up. We have already seen some of our old friends and can't wait for the show to open later this morning. Yvonne and I had our lucky fish and chips dinner at the Prince of Wales Pub. This year, Yvonne got in and out without breaking her foot. My first Power Point extravaganza presentation is today at 2 p.m. and then again on Fri. at 7 p.m. in the Fly-Fishing Theater. This is a brand new program using the latest technology to combine slides and video on saltwater techniques. If you're anywhere in the San Francisco Bay Area and want to improve your saltwater skills, be sure to see this program. In addition, there will be special prizes provided by a variety of manufacturers including Action Optics, AirFlo Fly lines, JW Outfitters, Guy Harvey Productions and David Communications for a quiz held at the end of the program. This is cutting edge A/V technology and a far, far cry from those old clunky 35mm slide presentations so common at fishing clubs and outdoor shows. AIR & SEA - Water temperature 69-72 Air temperature 60°-82° Humidity about 94% Wind Calm Conditions Cloudy (FEW) : 20000 ft Visibility 16 miles Sunrise 6:57 a.m. MST Sunset 6:05 p.m. MST Feb. 1 New First Quarter Feb. 9 Full Feb. 16 Feb. 23 Last Quarter · OFFSHORE: Both the tuna and dorado have continued to bite with a vengeance. · INSHORE: The sierra are almost a slam dunk. Be sure to use some wire for these toothy guys. · BEACH: Getting better, but still less than perfect conditions. BILLFISH - With the number of fish being seen it could get interesting when they decide to bite. YELLOWFIN TUNA - Most of the ones being caught are not footballs, but in the 30- to 50-pound class that will make your flyrod look like a bow in search of an arrow. DORADO - A 10-weight fly-fishing outfit $600, holographic popper $7.50, 20-pound dorado smacking the popper – Priceless. ROOSTERFISH - Tough to get through the sierra. JACK CREVALLE - Again, the sierra are getting in the way. BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - Forget 'em. Go look for tuna and dorado! PARGO AND CABRILLA - Always a few to be had around the rocky points. SIERRA - Just before sunup is the best time. MAGDALENA BAY, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO Wed., Jan. 29, 2003 IN GENERAL: Whales are the focus this time of year, but there seems to be plenty of corvina throughout the mangroves. A few pompano, grouper and snapper are beginning to show up in the main channel just south of Devil’s Curve. Water Temperature 67-73 Air Temperature 60°-78° Humidity 94% Wind Calm Conditions Clear Visibility 3 miles Sunrise 7:08 a.m. MST Sunset 6:10 p.m. MST Feb. 1 New First Quarter Feb. 9 Full Feb. 16 Feb. 23 Last Quarter YELLOWTAIL - Best bet is out at the entrada in deep water. CORVINA - A corvina take on the surface is worth the trip! SNOOK - Look for the dead mangroves with a deep hole in front of them. Use a Clouser or Deep Diver and fish the current. Best area right now is up toward Devil's Curve HALIBUT - Usually the sandy beaches are best, but we have been getting a few up in the esteros. SIERRA - Look for them under the birds out in the open areas of the bay. ZIHUATANEJO, MAINLAND MEXICO Sat., Jan. 25, 2003 Please note the date. We only provide reports on a weekly basis for this area. IN GENERAL: The fishing this week has just been incredible. Sailfish, tuna, dorado, roosterfish and even a couple of huge marlin were all being caught. There were many days where the boats were flying every flag they had, and there were still fish unaccounted for. Several boats have been averaging between 5 and 7 sailfish a day and another 3 or 4 dorado in the 20- to 25-pound class. We had a lot of boats with double digit sailfish counts this week. In the five years I have lived here, I have only seen the fishing like this a couple of times before. The fly-fishermen have also been taking advantage of the numbers of fish and are doing fabulous as well. P. J. Cunningham, from Idaho, fished with me for two days and had 12 sailfish come to the boat. He hooked 6. Greg Sharp from Little Rock, Ark., fished one day with our other guide Paul Phillips. They had 7 fish come to the boat and he hooked 4. Also, both P.J. and Greg each got a 20-pound class dorado that was teased to the boat. As of this writing, the International Billfish Tournament just completed its first day, with a total of 129 boats signed up. Before 10 a.m. a 121-pound sailfish and a 735-pound black marlin had already been weighed at the dock. The big black was hooked by Pulgo on the private yacht "Gorda," using 50-pound test line, and took only 1-hour to bring it in. Captain Amando on the panga "3 Hermanos" took the big sailfish. Paul Phillips, fishing the tournament with Santiago on the panga "Gitana," was fighting a nice dorado and they had left one outrigger bait out in case it would entice the mate. As they gaffed the dorado, the boat was dead in the water. That is when a 160-pound yellowfin took the cut bait. It bit only 7 miles off the beach in front of Ixtapa. Water Temperature 82º Air Temperature 75°-88º Humidity 74% Wind calm Conditions Scattered Clouds (SCT) : 15000 ft Sunrise 7:17 a.m. CST Sunset 6:38 p.m. CST Feb. 1 New First Quarter Feb. 9 Full Feb. 16 Feb. 23 Last Quarter For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo trips, go to: http://www.bajafly.com/Zihuatanejo.htm -- Zihuatanejo Report by Baja on the Fly's Ed Kunze