Striped marlin have been spotty and difficult to find, and most often they were not in the feeding mood. The few marlin spotted, combined with the rough seas, convinced most anglers to target other species.

Several blue and a black marlin in the 600 to 800 pound range were reported feeding on dorado just off of the lighthouse on the Pacific side. An occasional large marlin was spotted on the Cortez side as well, but there were no reported hook-ups.

Smaller school-sized yellowfin tuna were found along the ridge between the Golden Gate and the San Jaime Banks, but when the winds kicked up, the tuna catch became confined to an occasional hook-up on the Gordo Banks.

Small dorado averaging twelve pounds were taken just off the beach along the Cortez coastline between the Santa Maria Bay and Red Hill, but catch numbers have diminished as the water temps continue to cool.

There was a decent bite on wahoo averaging 30 pounds in the same area as the dorado, probably feeding on the same baitfish. While there were no big numbers, there were about two dozen caught each day. A few boats came in with two or three per trip.

Due to strong winds and big swells, most of the action took place on the Cortez side of the Cape.

Most days, the action was fair for sierra but the fishing really shined when schools were found and the anglers were able to get limits on fish averaging five pounds. There was sporadic, wide-spread action on other near-shore species such as snapper and grouper.......George and Mary Landrum