WEATHER:
Once again things were looking great both in the daytime and at night. Of course it cooled off just a bit at the tail end of the week, right after we had put the quilt away, but not so much that we really needed it. We did have some cloud cover move in at the end of the week as well, some high cover that never threatened rain, but did manage to fool some of the spring breakers into thinking they would not get burned!

WATER:
On both the Pacific side and the Cortez side of the Cape the swells were small and the winds light. The only real determination that needed to be made was where you thought you could find the fish. On the Pacific side the water was green out to 8 miles, then lightened up so that by the time you were at either the San Jaime or the Golden Gate Banks the water was a beautiful blue, the color you expect to get in the summer with 80 degree water, only this water was just 68-70 degrees. The green water closer to shore was between 64-66 degrees. To the south of us the cold green water plumed and spread out from the 1,000 fathom line to 20 miles south of there. Inside the 1,000 fathom line the water was a bit warmer at 69-70 degrees, but still off-color. Most of the boats ended up trying for the blue water on the Pacific side, either that or going up to the Punta Gorda area and dealing with the off-color water.

BAIT:
Getting good bait was still a chore for the guys who catch it and often unless you were one of the first boats to your regular supplier you ended up with a mix of good and not so good baits (at $3 each). Some Caballito, a few Mackerel, a few Mullet, some grunts and look-downs and a few jacks. Sardinas were a bit tough to get as well most days and $25 did not get you very many.

FISHING:

BILLFISH:
Early in the week there was a short lived Striped Marlin bite on the Pacific side just to the east of the San Jaime Bank, but it was over almost before it started and boats that went to the area hoping to find the fish again the next day did not fare well. If you were one of the lucky boats there the day the bite happened you might have gotten to release between three and four Striped Marlin out of 6 bites. Sad to say, but 3 years ago I would not have even needed to mention that, boats were getting double digit releases every day back then. On the bright side, the cool water did bring in more sightings of Swordfish, and there were several nice ones caught early in the week. I know of one that weighed almost 200 pounds and another that was just over 300 pounds. More were seen but refused to eat.

YELLOWFIN TUNA: Yellowfin were almost a bright spot for us this week, and they did end up being the pot of gold for a few boats as we had a couple of schools show up at the south end of the San Jaime Bank as well as right on top. Most of the fish were footballs but we did have a few boats that got into fish that averaged 30 pounds with an occasional one to 50 pounds. Then there were the schools where you could see the fish breaking the surface all around but would not bite a thing. And then there were the disappointments as you went to an area, worked it hard for several hours with no luck, left to check out another school only to hear on the radio an hour later that the bite had finally turned on back where you had just been! Sorry bout that, but mother nature has a way of keeping us humble, doesn't she?

DORADO:
I only saw a couple of Dorado flags this week. Those fish must have been lost and it was natures way of weeding out the gene pool.

WAHOO:
We just came off of the full moon but I did not hear of any Wahoo in the last week. Cold water? Who know the reason but the fish were not biting, at least that I heard of.

INSHORE:
Still the way to go this past week for most anglers, you were guaranteed action if you decided to fish along the beach. With the catch ranging from Sierra to Yellowtail to Snappers to Grouper and Trigger fish there was always something to bend a rod. Combine that with the fact that it is less expensive and it was no wonder most of the Pangas were busy this week! The fishing was good enough that Sierra and Yellow tail were being caught from the beach on the Pacific side! Most of the Sierra were between 3 and 6 pounds and while there were not many larger than that, there were plenty of them to be caught. Both the Cortez side and the Pacific side of the Cape had good results for these toothy little guys, and Sardinas were the best bet for getting bit, but hootchies in green or yellow worked as well. For the Snapper, throwing a live bait in among the rocks worked, but sometimes all you could do was keep your fingers crossed and hopped they would bit as sometimes they were really picky. The Yellowtail ranged in size from firecracker 5 pound fish to very nice 30-35 pound rod benders. Live bait and iron slabs or butterfly jigs were all working well.

FISH RECEIPE:
Using leftover white meat fish (I prefer Wahoo but any white meat will do), flake or crumble it up until you have at least 2 cups. Cook up 1  ? cups of sushi rice and let cool. Mince 1 tablespoon of fresh dill, mix with  ? cup of mayo, then mix it all together, salt and pepper to taste. This is a very nice, cool side dish in small amounts, or a great entree if you have plenty of leftover fish.

NOTES:
While the offshore fishing was slow, the up-tick in the Yellowfin bite was a sign of things to come (I say that with my fingers crossed!). Swordfish are the ultimate billfish, and are not common anywhere for sport fishermen, so having them show up here is a bit special. There is always a chance that you will be the lucky angler next time out. If I was just looking for action this past week, I would have definitely gone inshore on a Panga. Plenty of action, fish that are good to eat and the trips are short, only 5 hours. On another note, the whales are beginning to head back north and we are seeing fewer each trip. This weeks report was written to the music of Chuck Allen Floyd on his first studio release "Tonight an Angle Fell". Thanks to Allen Bailey for the great music, and others I will be using in the weeks to come!

Until next week, tight lines!