BY GARY GRAHAM
Cabo San Lucas
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My First Striped Marlin: A battle of a lifetime”
There are many stories of “first catches,” but none are more spiritually shared than this one written by Chere-Lee Vos, from South Africa, as she relates the catching of her first striped marlin here in Baja.
“The battle that followed hookup was unlike any other. The marlin’s size defied its strength as it fought with determination. With every powerful tug and surge, my arms strained, and sweat dripped from my brow. As time blurred, I fought intensely with the marlin below, forming an unspoken connection.
“Minutes felt like hours as the struggle persisted throughout the brutal fight. The marlin’s silver and blue scales shimmered beneath the water’s surface, then victory felt within reach. After hours, I had brought the striped marlin to the surface.
“Overwhelmed by awe and adrenaline, I watched in amazement as it breached the water’s surface, a majestic sight with its sleek, glistening body and cutting dorsal fin.
“We released the marlin into the ocean with deep respect, witnessing its graceful swim away. It was a moment of pure connection with the wild, a reminder of nature’s delicate balance.
“As I stood there, breathless and drenched in sweat, I couldn’t help but reflect on the remarkable journey that had led me to this moment. The striped marlin had offered a challenge, a test of endurance, and an unforgettable adventure.
“This was a story to share, not just for the thrill of the catch but for the profound connection forged with the ocean and its incredible inhabitants.”… Chere-Lee Vos
Footnote: Gerhard Vos and wife YoYo, owners of Daggaboy Safaris in South Africa, are part of the Bisbee Black and Blue Team that recently visited Los Cabos for the Bisbee Tournament. They brought their daughter Chere-Lee, who fished for marlin in Baja for the first time. This was her story of catching her first striped marlin here in Baja.
Fish Killer of the Week
We have a home in Villa Serena and one of our friends, Mark & Sarah Jackson, caught a 365 lb. Black Marlin recently that we thought you might like to put in the Gringo Gazette “Fish Killer”!
It was definitely a tournament winner caught just a little too early for the big prize money in the upcoming Bisbee Tournaments, but still fun to catch! Captain Chame from Gordo Banks Fishing Charter in San Jose (whose owner Eric Brictson, just passed away suddenly earlier last month) was the guide who helped Mark & Sarah from Wasilla, Alaska, bring it ashore in Chame’s small panga boat. Thanks, Rita Dickson.
Puerto Los Cabos
The first couple of days after the hurricane, the weather completely changed. The mornings are now considered chilly for us locals with temperatures in the high 60s; the days are very nice with temperatures in the mid-80s. Late October and November are one of the most enjoyable times in Cabo as the weather is perfect for families coming to visit us for Thanksgiving.
Luckily for us and our busy season ahead, Hurricane Norma did not affect the fishing. The first couple of days after the hurricane, the water was dirty and green as usual. After a couple of days, everything seemed to be back to normal, if not better than previous weeks. The main target is still yellowfin tuna at Iman and Vinorama Banks. There have been a lot of skipjacks in the same area, so it is a matter of what species gets the bait first. We are still using strips of squid due to sardinas supplies being very limited. Most of these tuna are averaging 20-40 pounds, with some occasional 70-100 pounds in the mix. Most of the boats this week were able to land 5+ tuna per day. Within the same area, we are starting to see more bottom fish action as expected. This week, we saw quite a few amberjack, yellowtail snapper, and grouper, most of them caught on the jig while drifting for tuna.
The big Bisbee’s tournament is now over and that does help alleviate some of the stress on the Gordo Banks. We still have the Western Outdoor News Cabo Tuna Jackpot coming up on November 2nd and 3rd. This will be an interesting one as there were quite a few tuna caught during the Bisbee’s. One of our local guys (Congratulations to Captain Romelio and team North Star) won the Top tuna overall on the Bisbee’s Offshore Tournament with two yellowfins, 236 and 93.8 pounders. The best chance at finding one of these bigger tunas is trolling live skipjacks or bollito on the Inner and Outer Gordos.
With the change in water temperature, we are starting to see some wahoo show up at the Gordo and Iman Banks. There have been a few hooked fast-trolling rapalas and lures, and some others are hitting the jigs on the surface. Most of these fish have been lost near the gaff. For some reason, this tends to be the case with the first showing wahoo of the season; you must be extra careful and smooth while reeling these fish in.
Overall, we have seen a lot of action and a nice variety over the last week. With similar weather and water conditions ahead, we expect for fishing to remain consistent and more species to show… Good Fishing, Brian Brictson
East Cape
Green, 91-degree water in the east cape made fishing challenging for our 29th Annual Rich Topp Palmas de Cortez Fall Spectacular. 15 teams and 65 anglers still had fun times and caught some nice fish. Thanks to the Topp family for donating $1000 cash, and thanks to Statewide Stripes for also donating $1000 cash. Thanks to Eddie Dalmau and the VanWormer family for the support all these years. Such a beautiful resort and a great getaway for all… Aníbal Miranda, Hotel Palmas De Cortez.
La Paz
FISHING KICKS BACK IN BUT NORMA STOMPS US
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report
WEATHER – Things stabilized, and we were back to some normal weather and sunshine, but seasons had changed for the cooler. Daytime temps down to the mid-80s and nighttime to the 70’s. Pretty comfortable.
Then, Norma Hit. Much more potent and destructive than predicted. Almost 3 days of 8-15″ of rain. Huge surf and surge. 100+mph winds!
WATER – It finally started getting blue again after the craziness two weeks ago when the water got hot and dirty (sounds like a rock song!). But Norma has turned the ocean into a frothy-looking morass that looks like whipped chocolate milk.
FISH HOOKED – Tuna, dorado, bonito, roosterfish, sailfish, sierra, pompano, trevally, and a random wahoo as well!
LAS ARENAS – Started to kick out a few tuna and the dorado came back nicely. But live bait was non-existent. However, dead, and frozen bait is still produced.
LA PAZ – Definitely dorado-land! The fish were way, way outside, but each day got closer. Until the storm messed it all up… Tailhunter, Jonathan Roldan.
