Mixed Bag and Billfish as March Exits
Overall Catch Success Rate, All Species Combined 74%
Billfish Catch Success Rate 22%, Tuna 13%, Dorado 18%, Other Species 47%
Our sturdy 28 ft Uniflite “Andrea” with Captain Fernando Noyola at the helm, caught 1 marlin plus 15 Sierra on cuchi bait at Migrino. The anglers were Ben and Kendra Gorab, Larry Gorab, and William Gorab from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
According to our veteran captain, Roberto Sandez, early in the last week of March, “The wind was the thing!” However, Captain Sandez knows a thing or two about dealing with the wind. He has been with Pisces for 37 years and fishes over 300 days a year. Even more importantly, he is aware that billfish are “closet surfers” that take advantage of big swells to tail down swell for a few miles before turning up swell, only to do it all over again.
Robert and Shari Klutz from Tampa, Florida, who fished with him last week, were the beneficiaries of Captain Sandez’s local knowledge. Catching and releasing 3 striped marlin on “caballito muerto” (dead caballito) at the 1150 Spot earned “Valerie” high boat that day.
In command of the 37 ft Viking “BBII,” Captain Osiel Winkler, born and raised in Cabo, is one of Pisces’ Top Release Captains in the fleet. He has been fishing professionally for 15 years. He loves to fish for billfish, and yep – you guessed it! – he also delivered for his clients, Antonio Moreno, Eugenio Salinas, Gonzalo Castano, Jesus De Luna, and Rodrigo Gutierrez from San Antonio, Texas. They caught a single striped marlin at the 1150 Spot.
In the mixed bag department, our 31 ft Bertram, “Tracy Ann,” with Captain Julio Castro at the helm assisted by his mate, Raul Leal, scored a remarkable day’s catch of 20 sierra mackerel on cuchi at Migrino, plus one of the most prized game fish in Baja — roosterfish!
Cory and Lana Pardon and Scott Wolf from Minot, North Dakota, enjoyed a hectic day releasing 30 roosterfish — from 5 to 8 pounds — on cuchi at Margarita’s. There, they also encountered a jack crevalle, pound-for-pound one of the toughest fighters found in Baja. Plus another Baja rockstar, the mighty “yellowtail” for Ben and Kendra Gorab, Larry Gorab, and William Gorab from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
One last fish tale to wrap up this week was a half-day outing aboard our Mediterranean “Speedwell” with Captain Victor Sandez and his mate, Miguel Sandez. They headed out to the Lighthouse around Cape Rocks up into the Pacific, a few miles outside the Lighthouse. Robert and Donna Hodgson, Georgina Sweeney, and Luis Muaoz, from Chico, California, were enjoying the morning trolling offshore and catching a few skipjacks when the crew spotted a tiger shark finning on the surface! The mate hurriedly rigged a caballito and cast it to the giant shark that accepted the offering with a swirl and a gulp! After a short session of pull and grunt, the critter was brought alongside, photographed, and released.
So before you decide all of the above was an early April Fool’s Day prank… This is my story, and I’m sticking to it!
Tight Lines,
Gary Graham — That Baja Guy
WEATHER CONDITIONS: Mostly calm.
WATER TEMP: 69 – 73
WAVE HEIGHT: 4-5 ft
WIND: 4 – 7 knots
BEST LURES: Live and dead caballito, mackerel, ballyhoo, squid, cuchi, larger bright-colored trolling lures, and cedar plugs in various colors.
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Based on the catches of Pisces Sportfishing Fleet, by Gary Graham, That Baja Guy.
