While not great, the striped marlin fishing has been good, but as in all fishing, being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with the success rate. Using the right stuff also helps. This week Cabo hosted the IGFA Offshore Championship once again and there were 59 teams from around the world competing for four days, using 30 pound test line. There were 292 billfish caught, including two swordfish, two blue marlin and six sailfish. The top areas early in the week were between the 95 spot and the 1150, and as the week wore on the fish moved to the warm water in front of San Jose, along the edge of the San Jose Canyon. There were other swordfish caught besides the two in the tournament, and the 1150 area plus outside the outer Gorda Banks were holding a few.

At the end of the week there was some action on yellowfin tuna in front of Grey Rock, small fish averaging 8 to 10 pounds and you had to chum them up with sardina. There were a few larger fish in there as well, but not many. Porpoise were found offshore outside of the 1150 as well as Punta Gorda, and some of them were holding tuna to 100 pounds. Hopefully this action will move closer our way soon.

There were a few dorado caught this week, almost all of them on the Cortez side of the cape. Small ones were found close to the beach, little guys of around 8 pounds. Offshore a bit farther, were larger fish averaging 15 pounds.

Full moon is on the 17th so the wahoo bite was slowly improving. Most of the hook-ups were lost due to the use of monofilament leader instead of wire, but enough of the wahoo bit just right and a few were landed. Once again the warmer water in the Sea of Cortez was where they were found.

That roosterfish bite just around the corner in front of the Sol-mar continued for the first two days of the week then they went away. Those fish were small at 5 pounds on the average but provided lots of action when sardina was used as bait. The sierra action has slowed down a bit and the yellowtail seemed to have moved north up the coast on the Pacific side. Instead, we are getting action from the jack crevalle, not good eating but a heck of a fighter!

As the middle of the week approached, the football yellowfin showed up in front of Grey Rock and most of the Pangas were running up the coast to Palmilla for sardina then running back to chum and drift live bait....George and Mary Landrum