WEATHER:
It's summertime! We have had clear skies and warm weather all week, and the water is warming up as well. With the daytime temperature getting into the mid to high 90's and the nights only dropping to the high 70's we know it's not too long before going to the beach will become an almost daily ritual. It's about the only way to beat the heat without running the AC all day long. Put the sweaters and long pants away and buy new tubes of sunscreen.

WATER:
At the end of the week it was clear that warm water has been pushing our way from the east. The surface temperatures on the Sea of Cortez inside the 1,000 fathom line east of the 95 spot is a steady 75-76 degrees. Outside the 1,000 fathom line and from the beach on out north of the 95 spot to the lighthouse on the Pacific side the water is 69-70 degrees. From the lighthouse on the Pacific side an 8 mile wide band of 67 degree water extends from the northeast to the southwest. On the northern side of this line, for about 3 miles, there is a band of cold water at 60 degrees that runs right across the top of the San Jaime Banks. North of this band the water warms a degree or so to 63-64 degrees. Surface conditions throughout the area have been great with small swells and mostly light afternoon winds.

BAIT:
Caballito have been the prevailing bait this week with very few Mackerel and a decent supply of Mullet, all at the normal $3 per bait. For boats willing to go the distance and needing Sardines, we were finally seeing some decent size ones from San Jose, but you had to be there early, and they were going for $20-$25 a scoop if you could get them.

FISHING:

BILLFISH:
With the moon in it's waning phase we are seeing more Striped Marlin on the surface and they seem more willing to take a bait than they were last week. The favorite area is still between the 1150 and the San Jose Canyon, but there are fish showing up on the 95 spot, probably as the warm water keeps moving to the west the fish will follow. A few boats were finding Marlin very close to the beach, less than two miles out. They were not there in the numbers being found offshore, but they were willing to bite and many boats managed to close out a half day trip by catching one right outside Cabo. In more good news, the warming water may also be bringing in more of the larger Marlin as several boats this week reported catching Blue Marlin. I did not see any of the fish but they were reported to me as being less than 200 pounds and were caught on lures pulled for Striped Marlin. Never forget that there are other billfish out there as well! A private boat went out this week to run some checks on their electrical systems, checking the radar, sonar, FLIR and such and of course they put a couple of lines in the water. Crossing the 95 spot they hooked up a Swordfish that weighed just under 300 pounds, on a lure, at night! You never know what is going to show up!

YELLOWFIN TUNA:
I did hear of a few boats in the area that lucked into #100 fish while working Dolphin but there were no numbers reported to me, just that a few had been caught. Must be nice to luck into these fish! For the rest of us, Yellowfin were pretty much a hit-or-miss situation. Find the right porpoise pod and you might get a few fish averaging 15 pounds, but there were not many of them out there. Boats fishing inshore trolling Rapallas for Yellowtail caught a few Yellowfin, but once again there were no number of them, just the occasional fish here and there. These were not fish that I would have gone out and targeted this past week, but instead would have been happy to get as a by-catch.

DORADO: I think the Dorado may just be a month away as we are slowly seeing the bite improve. Once the water hits 80 degrees we might see it bust loose, but for now an occasional 30 pound fish with a few smaller ones in the 10 pound class are what we are seeing every day, and that is not per boat, but an average of about 10 boats. They are there, but the numbers are not here yet.

WAHOO:
Wahoo were scattered this week with most of the fish reported coming from the warmer water up around the Gorda Banks and Punta Gorda. More were being seen than were being caught, but there were some nice fish reported with weights ranging from 25 to 70 pounds. Sure would be nice to get a couple of Wahoo fillets, I have some ingredients just waiting to use on them for a great meal! The fish that have been caught have mostly been on live bait but a few have been reported caught on lures, and almost all the fish have come from shallow water, less than 350 feet.

INSHORE:
Sierra continue to be the inshore fish of the week in our area, but I have heard reports from a few of our boats that have ventured up to the Punta Gorda area that there was a decent bite on Pompano that lasted for a few days. These great eating fish were found close to the beach, averaged 6 pounds and were biting on Sardinas. There are still some Yellowtail being found on the Pacific side of the Cape, but not in the numbers we were seeing several weeks ago, nor in the same size range. Boats are averaging two to three fish per trip and the size has dropped to an average of 12 pounds. Also being found inshore are good numbers of Roosterfish to 20 pounds. Great action on spinning and fly tackle, when you mix in an occasional Jack Crevalle you better be ready!

NOTES:
Tawny is snoring at my feet, waiting for the Sunday beach walk, that was my music for this report! Can't keep her waiting, and of course a great Sunday breakfast when we get back, a call to Mom for mothers day and then off to watch the final round of golf at TPC Sawgrass!

Have a great week everyone, and Happy Mothers Day!

Until next week, tight lines!