Baja Anglers fishing report Feb. 17th 2011

Hi Folks,

Is Cabo Safe?

That's the question most people ask when they contact me.. I just sigh. Cabo is one of the safest places on the planet... I believe it, I know it, and I live it. I can go anywhere in town and or for that matter anywhere in southern Baja at anytime, day or night and only meet wonderful people. If your car is broke down, there is always someone to help, if you lost your way, there is always someone to help. Everywhere you go, there are wonderful people smiling, laughing and just living the good life...

I thought we would have a ton of tourists down with all the bitter cold weather back home, but many folks just are not traveling to Mexico. Heck, even I wouldn't go anywhere near the border cities. You would have to be nuts to do that, but because Cabo's at the tip of a 1000 mile peninsula, Cabo is in a world of its own. Its an Oasis separated by the sea of Cortez, and 1000 miles of lonely two lane road... Cabo is cut off 100% from the violence that has sweeped parts of Northern and Western Mexico.

I am going to go one of my famous Grants Rants about the Media.. The medias only job is to sensationalize every little thing that happens in the world. They make everything into a headline story, so you stayed glued to the TV. Once everything is suspenseful and has you hanging, biting your nails, you will have a 24/7 audience...This is not for your benefit, although they want you to think that.. Its about making Money. Nothing else, just making money. Tons of funds... More viewers, more adds, more money. That simple...

The media has hurt Cabo's tourism with its sensationalizing everything that happens here into big stories to keep you glued to you boob tubes. Each time they have reported something has happened, its been nothing at all, leaving the people here scratching their heads and wondering what the heck they are talking about.. Stories about hurricanes destruction of Cabo, when all we got was a little street flooding, and that went away as soon as the rain stopped, and when the rain stopped, everything went back to normal.. Then we had the bird flu scare... What BS... Not one case of bird flu in Southern Baja, but if you heard the news anchors talk, we were dropping like flies and the world is near its end...Now the media is harping on Mexico again with the violence in border cities...Yes, there is a big problem there, and I hope they fix it soon, as its not good for Mexico, and I love this country... But the media conveniently forget to tell you that there are very safe places to visit, so the whole country suffers because the media wants to make a buck. People need to be entertained, so they watch the cable news shows like they are watching a scary movie. Yea right, say some, but when have you seen the news report a good wholesome story... Not often, if ever.. Why not, because violence sells baby, Violence sells, they don't give a rats ass about your mental health, they want you neurotic. Tune in to more murder and destruction right after this important message from our sponsor (money). Egypt has turned the medias eye away from us, and that ought to keep the medias attention for a long time to come. I now hope things get back to normal and folks come back to Cabo to enjoy our warm sunny days, beautiful sandy beaches, incredible fishery and wonderful people that live in this incredible paradise.

If I watch the news too much, I find myself predicting the end of mankind and feeling nervous about everything all the time. Thats why I take what they say with a grain of salt and enjoy each day with my family. What do we do for entertainment, well we go fishing, go to the beach, practice Aikido, and of course we surf more... I find myself shutting off the boob tube as much as possible, unless of course I am watching Chef Ramsey at work, now thats entertainment! I love that guy.. He rocks. Tough love, tells people how it is, no BS, and in the end only wants whats best for everyone...

Now to the fishing.

OFFSHORE

The offshore fishing is starting to pick up after a slow two month lull, and we are starting to catch striped marlin again. Thats really good news, as catching marlin is one of my personal favorite pastimes.. The marlin have been picky on lures, but have been taking bait well. Good news both fly and light tackle anglers... Expect to see 1-3 marlin in a days outing...

The yellowfin tuna have been hanging around Cabo for the last few months.. Long boat rides, up to 30 miles are the norm.. If you can find the porpoise, you can find the tuna..If you cant find the porpoise, it can be a very long day offshore... The tuna are small around 10-25 lbs...

Not many dorado around, but we are occasionally finding a few smaller fish close to shore... Expect the dorado to start showing up later in late spring when the water starts to warm up..

INSHORE:

Traditionally spring is an-awesome time to to Cabo as the inshore fishing is red hot... Lots of action, with fun aggressive visual takes...

The inshore fishing has been good, actually very good most days.

The roosterfish, sierra mackerel and big jacks have been up on the Pacific side..

The Roosterfish have been fun sized around 8-15 lbs and are taking flies readily.. My rat flies is one of the all time best flies to throw at them..White has been the best color... Roosterfish is everyones favorite.. There is a good reason why.. With its exotic looks, great fighting fish, and its reluctance to eat flies, its probably the most sought after inshore gamefish on the Pacific rim..

Lots of big sierra mackerel in town.. People underestimate what a great fish the sierra is and they confuse it with the mackerel they catch back home.. Nothing could be more from the truth.. Sierras are a fantastic fish on fly and spin.. The are aggressive eaters. Strong violent takes that make you grateful you weren't born a baitfish...They run as fast as a wahoo(cousin) and make a 10 lb bonefish run seem lame.. A big one can take out well over a hundred yards on the first run, and then fight like mad till the end... And also they taste great! Ceviche, can you say more, por favor! grill them, pan fry, and breaded, all great ways to cook this fish. All of that said, Sierras taste better than Dorado, anytime... What a wonderful fish...Just be careful of their teeth when you take the fly out of their mouths...

The big Jack Cravelle's are back in town. What another great gamefish... These big guys have huge hearts and lots of fight. You got sore arms? You must have caught a big jack. These guys will tear you up and test your mettle ... Pound for pound you will have a hard time finding a fish that will give you a tug on your line as well as the Sr. Cravelle will... I love catching jacks.. Right now, there are some very big fish well over 25 lbs. cruising the beaches and just waiting to eat your fly..

Not too many cubera snapper right now, but I expect the cuberas to start showing up soon.. You haven't fished until you cast your fly out and see that red cloud come up behind and underneath your fly.. You wonder what the heck is that, then you start seeing individual fish and you realize that a couple of hundred snapper just came to the surface to eat your fly... Its an amazing sight to see.. wonderful great fighting and eating fish..

I have been getting folks emailing me asking me if I am doing my beach camping trips again. Yes, I am... I will do 4 or 5 more trips this spring up the Pacific beaches for snook, snappers, corvina, and halibut off the beaches... These trips are great fun and great way for you to know the Baja I love.. We go to some of my favorite places in the world to catch some of the coolest fish on the fly and spin.. I also do Pacific exploratory beach trips where we stay in small clean hotels and hop around southern Baja and fish the beaches.. This is a super way for you to explore and fish each day, but come back to a warm shower, soft bed, and good food each night... If you like a little adventure and want to see Baja through my eyes, Please email me at baja-anglers.com for more information and booking these trips..