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 Sat., June 21, 2003 Report covers the period Wed.-Fri. (6/18-6/20) EAST CAPE, MAGDALENA BAY AND ZIHUATANEJO CONDITIONS EAST CAPE, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO IN GENERAL: Football-sized tuna are practically chewing the paint off the Bottoms of the boats, so it is not difficult to entice them to suck up a hook with fur and feathers attached. There’s an extraordinary wahoo bite with some sluggos showing up (up to 125-pounds.) If one of these is ever going to be caught on the fly, now is the time! There are roosterfish ranging from grande to pequeño, cruising the beaches, daisy chaining, surfing the wind waves, and harassing mullet schools. They’re biting the fly less often than all of the above. Flood watches on the East Coast, June Gloom on the West Coast. Give me East Cape. AIR & SEA - Water temperature 72°-82° Air temperature 82°-89° Humidity about 48% Wind Some brisk wind in the mid afternoon Conditions Clear Visibility 12 miles Sunrise 6:33 a.m. MST Sunset 8:07 p.m. MST June 21 Last Quarter June 29 New July 6 First Quarter June 13 Full · OFFSHORE: Strong winds mid-afternoon sent most of the fleet scurrying back closer to shore to try to get in on the rooster show. By the time that happened, most had their fill of football-sized tuna and the very lucky ones got in on the continuing wahoo snap. · INSHORE: Roosterfish, jacks, few dorado, a wahoo here and there makes this the perfect time to add a few species to your list. · BEACH: Pompano schools strung out from Rancho Buenavista to Punta Arena, small flies, slow retrieve, slam dunk. Ladyfish by the yard almost Everywhere and that makes the roosters crazy now. If we can figure out how to tie (and cast) a fly that looks like a 24-inch ladyfish we will be in business. BILLFISH - Mostly stripers and sails with many eagerly waiting for the Influx of blues with an attitude. YELLOWFIN TUNA - I am running out of ways to say a lot! DORADO - A few here and there, not a bonanza. Go catch tuna. ROOSTERFISH - Find a stretch of sandy beach, strip off the amount of line You want to cast, wait for the sun to get high enough, here they come, run, cast, there they go, repeat process until one bites. JACK CREVALLE - Beginning to see some small schools cruising the shoreline. BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK - I lost track with everything else going on. PARGO AND CABRILLA - Locals out in force in the evenings between Rancho Leonero and La Ribera. SIERRA - Lost your fly? Now you know why. MAGDALENA BAY, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO Sat., June 21, 2003 Report covers the period Wed.-Fri. (6/18-6/20) IN GENERAL: Wind and whitecaps best describe the offshore. Did get a report of a few marlin being sighted between the Thetis and Cabo San Lazaro. Look out So. California, here they come. A few yellowtail tight to Santa Margarita Island near the rocks. With all the wind, most of the fleet spent their time up in the mangroves. Water Temperature 62°-66° Air Temperature 68°-77° Humidity 85% Wind NW at 2 mph Conditions Clear Visibility 3 miles Sunrise 6:37 a.m. MDST Sunset 8:19 p.m. MDST June 21 Last Quarter June 29 New July 6 First Quarter June 13 Full YELLOWTAIL - Near the entrada on the Isla Margarita side near the rocks. CORVINA - Good catches from the entrada to the esteros. If you are on foot try the bridge at the entrance to town. SNOOK - A few larger ones stumped our anglers this week and I mean that literally. HALIBUT - Got Clousers? Get halibut, try Belchers or any other sandy beach you find. SIERRA - Quiet for now. ZIHUATANEJO, MAINLAND MEXICO Please note the date. We are only providing weekly (not twice a week) reports for this area. Sat., June 21, 2003 Report covers the period Wed.-Fri. (6/18-6/20) IN GENERAL: We had a little unsettled weather this past week and, even though about 95% of our rain during the rainy season comes in the late evening hours, we did get a few days of it. The port was not closed, but it did keep the boats off the water. When the boats did go out they were averaging about two sailfish a day and a few were getting into the 18- to 25-pound yellowfin tuna. The roosterfish and jack crevalle action has been excellent. Client Darrel Mangineli of Ventura, Calif., fished with Armando on the panga “Janeth” and released seven very nice roosters and 15 jack crevalle in one day. The roosters were all 25- to 35-pounds, with two of them at 40 and 42 pounds. The hard fighting jacks were between 15 and 25 pounds. Water Temperature 75º-80º Air Temperature 78°-86º Humidity 89% Wind ENE at 9 mph Conditions Mostly Cloudy (BKN) : 8,000 ft Visibility 10 miles Sunrise 7:12 a.m. CDST Sunset 8:23 p.m. CDST June 7 First Quarter June 14 Full June 21 Last Quarter June 29 New For more Information on Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo trips, go to: http://www.bajafly.com/Zihuatanejo.htm Baja on the Fly’s Zihuatanejo report by Ed Kunze.