If You've Never Caught a Sail, Try Guatemala Now REPORT FROM GARY GRAHAM'S BAJA ON THE FLY: PROVIDING QUALITY SALTWATER FLY-FISHING 365 DAYS A YEAR SOUTH OF THE BORDER. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: [email protected] USA toll-free (800) 919-2252 or 760/746-7260; Mexico 011-52-624-14-10373 Dec. 11, 2004. Report covers the period Sat.-Fri. (12/03-12/10) EAST CAPE, MAGDALENA BAY, ZIHUATANEJO, MEXICO; AND SAN JOSE, GUATEMALA CONDITIONS EAST CAPE IN GENERAL: Winter has definitely arrived and fishing has begun its annual slow down. Still a few fish to be had on the good days; (“good days” are defined on those with No Wind). Billfish and tuna on the outside and inshore still a few dorado for the persistent ones. Sierra have surfaced again, so wire is in order. AIR & SEA – Water temperature 71-75 Air temperature 62-81 Humidity about 64% Wind: NE 8 mph Conditions: Scattered Clouds Visibility 15 miles Sunrise 6:55 a.m. MST Sunset 5:36 p.m. MST Dec. 11, New; Dec. 18, First Quarter; Dec. 26, Full; Jan. 3, Last Quarter. + OFFSHORE: Few billfish and tuna for the lucky. + INSHORE: Sierra have begun their annual snap, so bring some wire. + BEACH: Get there early. There are till a few roosters, jacks and plenty of ladyfish to keep things interesting. BILLFISH – Best down to the south. YELLOWFIN TUNA – Still a few with the porpoise. DORADO – Look closer to shore between La Ribera and the lighthouse. ROOSTERFISH\JACK CREVALLE – Challenging. BARRILETE OR MEXICAN SKIPJACK – Breezing schools in front of La Ribera if the wind is backed off. PARGO AND CABRILLA – Only a few on the rocky points. SIERRA – Bring wire or lots of flies! MAGDALENA BAY, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICO IN GENERAL: Offshore has produced consistently good action with the few boats in the area reporting 3-5 billfish a day along with a few dorado, tuna and fewer wahoo. The best action being found is in the southern sector below Punta Tosca. Inshore, the San Carlos area reported spotty fishing including corvina, cabrilla and a few leopard grouper. Mag Bay Outfitters reported fair-to-good fishing in the mangroves for a few snook, grouper, pargo and sierra near Boca Santo Domingo. For a comprehensive update on the conservation issues at Magdalena Bay http://www.seawatch.org/newsroom/mag_bay/Magdalena_Bay_en.pdf Water Temperature 69-75 Air Temperature 68-74 Humidity 76% Wind West 6 mph Conditions: Clear Visibility 3 miles Sunrise 7:01 a.m. MST Sunset 5:38 p.m. MST Dec. 11, New; Dec. 18, First Quarter; Dec. 26, Full; Jan. 3, Last Quarter. YELLOWTAIL – A few firecrackers at the entrada with a few larger fish hanging closer to the bottom. CORVINA – Still around, but the size class is much smaller than earlier in the year. SNOOK – Northern end of the bay seems to be the most productive. HALIBUT – Sand beaches and a slowly retrieved Clouser should do the trick. SIERRA – Only small ones. ZIHUATANEJO, MAINLAND MEXICO IN GENERAL: The blue water remains close, but it has been influenced by a cooler current. The water temperatures have dropped at least 4 degrees and slowed the sailfish bite. At the beginning of the week, we wound up the Baja on the Fly Sails and Tales fly-fishing tournament. On the last day (12/6), every boat had hookups, but most fish were lost. Several boats were raising between 6 and 8 fish each, but getting the hook set proved to be another situation. For the complete results, go to http://www.bajafly.com/sailsandtales/2004SATresults.htm Towards the end of the week, due to the cooler water, the conventional gear fishermen are now only averaging about 1 or 2 fish per boat per day. The action will definitely pick up later this week as conditions stabilize and new fish come into the area. The cooler water has brought in the tuna however, with the big blue marlin never far behind. Some large tuna to 180 pounds have been taken at the 22 mile mark, with a lot of smaller yellowfin in as close as 4-miles off the beach. The hot roosterfish bite has also been affected by the cooler current. Things have slowed considerably for Adolpho on the “Dos Hermanos” with only 4 roosters caught yesterday (Fri.) That is a considerable reduction when you consider he had one day last week with 18 roosters. However, Adolpho did tell me this morning the huge jacks have moved in, and he is getting several a day from 18- to 25-pounds. Water Temperature 80-84 Air Temperature 77-89 Humidity 94% Wind Calm Conditions: Scattered Clouds 8,000 ft Visibility 6 miles Sunrise 7:06 a.m. CST Sunset 6:12 p.m. CST Dec. 11, New; Dec. 18, First Quarter; Dec. 26, Full; Jan. 3, Last Quarter. Baja on the Fly's Zihuatanejo report by Ed Kunze SAN JOSE, GUATEMALA IN GENERAL: This past week the fishing has blown wide open in Guatemala and is as hot as it gets! Many boats are experiencing more than 50 releases per day, and several are having personal best days. One boat also had 27 releases on the fly. A few marlin have made showings, but have been difficult, and dorado are around. The weather has been great overall, and those guys that have come down fishing are all smiles after they recover from the non-stop action. If the action holds, this should be one incredible season that you won’t want to miss! Water Temperature 78-82 Air Temperature 82-86 Humidity 100 % Wind NE 8 mph Conditions: Scattered Clouds Visibility 7 miles Sunrise 6:17 a.m. CST Sunset 5:36 p.m. CST Dec. 11, New; Dec. 18, First Quarter; Dec. 26, Full; Jan. 3, Last Quarter. San Jose, Guatemala report by Brian Barragy and Lissa McFarland