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Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa
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YEAR |
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This week, according to Captain Temo Verboonen, the SAILFISH were plentiful and persistent within 5 miles of the entrance to Zihuatanejo Bay. There were good reports from the skippers that reflected 5-10 strikes within a 4-5 hour period, starting right at the 5-mile mark.
Still good for incidental DORADO catches and we had a fair school of YELLOWFIN TUNA swing through at about 8 miles out.
Overall, the offshore fishing was good this past week and looked to be improving as the days went by.
The inshore fishing continues to be very good for the JACK
CREVALLE and BONITO, along with good catches of SIERRA (SPANISH
MACKEREL). ROOSTERFISH are following the schools of bait
and have relocated at Saladita Point, approximately 35 miles to the
north of the Bay.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Another area of partly cloudy days
but warm & comfortable, with temps from 72°F (22°C) nights
to 94°F (34°C) daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Excellent all over, with temps holding very
stable at 85°F (29°C) , both in & offshore.
Very little breeze and swell and mostly calm.
Best Fishing Area: Starting at about 5 miles from the entrance
to the Bay and working outbound from there.
Best Bait/Lure: The rigged baits were hot for the SAILFISH but
good strikes on the smaller lures, too.
Bait Supply: Excellent supply of both rigged and live bait available.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, the week in general was near perfect for sea conditions and overall weather and the fishing commenced at about 4 miles from the entrance to Zihuatanejo Bay and continued out to about 10 miles. Very good SAILFISH catches, (he used the term "SAILFISH were very cooperative"). Even a couple of PACIFIC STRIPED MARLIN were taken this week, along with a scattering of DORADO. Unfortunately, the YELLOWFIN TUNA vanished from the area.
The inshore fishing was more difficult this past week with the
fish being very close to the shore line and more finicky than in past
weeks, almost like a seasonal change.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Partly cloudy but very pleasant
and warm days with temps from 72°F (22°C) nights to 94°F
(34°C) daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: A very calm week with surface temps at a stable
85-86°F (29-30°C) and excellent clarity.
Best Bait/Lure: Rigged baits for the offshore waters
for the SAILFISH; and live bait for the inshore, along
with the pencil poppers.
Overall Bait Supply: Excellent
Captain Temo Verboonen reported excellent fishing during the past week, both inshore and offshore, and that more and more anglers are coming into the area.
He reported in for just 3 super pangas, including his own, "Secuestro
de Amor", reflecting a combined total of 7 SAILFISH,
9 YELLOWFIN TUNA, 13 DORADO for the offshore waters,
(starting offshore at 4 miles) and 120 SIERRA, 36 JACK
CREVALLE, 11 ROOSTERFISH and 13 BONITO for the inshore fishing.
He said the SAILFISH are schooled up and tend to bite in groups
with 3-4 strikes at the same time. Overall, his report was very upbeat
and full of excitement.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Sunny Days and temps from 70°F
(21°C) nights to 93°F (32°C) daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Good temps from 84°F (29°C) inshore and
rising to 86°F (30°C) offshore, with excellent clarity,
both in and off shore, and very slight surface breezes and little swell
condition, allowing for calm seas.
Best Fishing Area: SAILFISH were offshore from
4 to 15 miles, along with the YELLOWFIN TUNA and DORADO.
Best Bait/Lures: SAILFISH on the rigged trolling baits, TUNA on
the feathers. ROOSTERFISH and JACK CREVALLE on live
bait and red & white pencil poppers. SIERRA on small shiny
lures and feathers and rigged strip baits.
Bait Supply: Remains abundant for all of the boats.
Captain Temo Verboonen, owner of a couple of the areas finest super pangas, forwarded a really upbeat fishing report for the Zihuatanejo area, offering crystal clear blue water all over and excellent fishing for DORADO, SAILFISH & YELLOWFIN TUNA with good fishing at less than 5 miles from the entrance to the Bay. Temo says there are currently big schools of DORADO close to shore and the best bait has been the live ANCHOVIES when available.
SAILFISH are biting good at about 10 miles offshore and there has been superb action for the fly fishing anglers.
Close to the shoreline, the ROOSTERS are still biting well, especially on live bait and the red & white pencil poppers.
He says there is currently a notable change not only in the fishing
conditions but in the numbers of anglers starting to visit the docks
as the entire area is regaining the much needed tourism input.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Sunny & clear to partly cloudy
days with temps from 70°F (21°C) nights to 94°F (34°C)
daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Superb conditions with crystal clear waters
just a few miles offshore and temps at 84°F (29°C) inshore to
85 (29.5°C) offshore, with light tropical surface winds
and little swell.
Best Fishing Area: Inshore is perking up with fair catches
of ROOSTERFISH and JACK CREVALLE. Offshore at
5 miles or so the DORADO bite is exceptional and even some YELLOWFIN
TUNA in the mix. At 10 miles the SAILFISH bite starts and
has been going strong right through the full moon.
Best Bait/Lure: ANCHOVIES best for the DORADO but GOGGLE
EYE working well, too. Rigged baits for the SAILFISH and
streamers for the fly fishing anglers.
Bait Supply: Remains plentiful right through the full moon.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, following the effects of Hurricane Rick the waters have continued to improve to near perfect fishing conditions. The general fishing starts at about 8 miles outside Zihuatanejo Bay in the deep-purple colored waters, with excellent DORADO action, SAILFISH and even a bite on the YELLOWFIN TUNA.
While the numbers of anglers and charters is still at an all-time low, the fishing is starting to shape up to the premium levels of this area. We have been mixing the trolling baits with the artificials and this has worked extraordinarily well for the SAILFISH and DORADO.
Also, the inshore ROOSTERFISH bite is still good but much
of the time the wave action and off colored water prevents the super
pangas from getting close enough to the beach to be productive. However,
when the conditions are right, the bite is great.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Mostly cloudy days with some evening
rains, temps from 74°F (23°C) nights to 92°F (33°C)
daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Near perfect, mostly calm with very light surface
breezes and very clean purplish waters just a few miles offshore,
temps at 85-86°F (29-30°C) and stable.
Best Fishing Area: Starts at about 8 miles outside Zihuatanejo
Bay.
Best Bait/Lure: Both live bait and lures have been working well
and mixing the two have been very productive, especially using the
green/yellows and blue/white artificials. ROOSTERS best on live
bait and red/white pencil poppers.
Bait Supply: This is one of the areas that seems to almost never
have a bait problem and there is plenty of bait available from day
to day.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, skipper of the "Secuestro De Amor", the entire area has been flip-flopped over the past 10 days and they have endured 5 port-closure days due to Hurricane Rick that brought huge waves and too much rain to the area.
In the earlier part of the past 10 days, the DORADO bite was excellent and there were excellent catches of bigger DORADO in the 25-45 lb. ranges. Overall, it was pretty easy limit-style fishing for the few boats on the water.
There was also good action for ROOSTERFISH on the inshore circuit, prior to Hurricane Rick, with red & white pencil poppers seeing most of the action there. Other than the ROOSTERFISH, the inshore action was quite slow.
With the passing of "Rick" and the settling of the offshore waters,
the bite bounced right back for the DORADO and the opportunity
for big fish on light tackle is readily available. Right now, the waters
are calm and the fishing continues to be on the rise. SAILFISH are
starting to cooperate at about 10 miles offshore and beyond and there
is a definite water color break at the 10 mile mark. Lots of floating
debris all along this edge and the DORADO are stacking up under
the logs.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Partly cloudy days with good temps
that ranged from 72°F (22°C) nights to 93°F (34°C)
daytime highs and some night rains.
Sea Conditions: Finally, a break from the weather with the passing
of Hurricane Rick. Sea Temps at 88°F (31°C) inshore and declining
to 86°F (30°C) offshore and good clarity beyond 10-12 mile
mark.
Best Fishing Area: The DORADO are bunched up under the
floating debris from about 10 miles. SAILFISH and an occasional BLUE/BLACK
MARLIN from 12-30 miles. ROOSTERFISH best at the mouth
of the Valentín lagoon.
Best Lure/Bait: Rigged baits doing very well for the DORADO,
along with a variety of plastic lures in a variety of colors. ROOSTERFISH liking
the red/white pencil poppers.
Bait Supply: Readily available, both MULLET and GOGGLE-EYES
(JACKS).
The full moon seemed to improve the overall fishing in Zihuatanejo, according to Captain Temo Verboonen. While it's still rainy & wet weather, the offshore waters clear up at about 10 miles or so, and there is a clarity edge with lots of logs and debris floating, attracting the bigger DORADO.
Captain Jose Vargas, skipper of the "LA BAMBA" reported
in for a single fishing day with 2 SAILFISH and 4 DORADO,
all taken at the 14-mile mark. The fish are biting well and eager on
the GREEN JACKS for bait. There were also two BLUE MARLIN taken
that weighed in at the 200 lb. mark.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Mostly cloudy and rainy days & nights,
with temps from
72°F (22C°) nights to 92°F (33°C) daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Mostly calm with very light surface breezes, but rainy
and wet days. Temps holding stable at 82°F (28°C) and good water clarity
from about 10 miles offshore.
Best Lure/Bait: GREEN JACKS were the best bait for the BILLFISH.
Captain Temo Verboonen was much more upbeat this week, albeit, there were almost no anglers fishing the boats. He reported 3 days of bad weather and port closures but once the weather cleared up, the DORADO bite was back on again with some quality sized DORADO in the mix.
While the BILLFISH catches remained very slow, the inshore catches
came back for ROOSTERFISH along the beaches, both north & south
of Zihuatanejo Bay, and the POMPANO catches were very good at
the "White Rocks" (Los Morros de Potosí) using live ANCHOVETTAS on
the bottom.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Partly cloudy days but a good mix
of sunshine with temps from 73°F (23°C) nights to 93°F
(34°C) daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Impossible weather early in the week and becoming
calm as the week progressed. Temps were stable at 88°F (31°C)
and water clarity was very good from about 18 miles (29 km) offshore and
along the 1000 fathom curve.
Best Lure/Bait: Live bait was best for the ROOSTERFISH and POMPANO.
Most of the DORADO were taken on artificials around floating
debris from the storms.
Bait Supply: Remained good through the full moon period.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, it was complete non-fishing week for the Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo area that experienced a myriad of poor weather conditions, rough ocean conditions and lack of fisherman.
The ROOSTERFISH have vanished from the area and the schools
of BONITO are absent from the area, too. Temo says, "It's
time to put the boats ashore and complete annual maintenance programs".
While boats will continue to be available for charters, there may be
some diminished capacities for the next 30-45 days, as the boats get
ready for the season changes.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Partly cloudy and rainy with temps
from 72°F (22°C) nights to 92°F (33°C) daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Mostly rough waters for the week with temps
at 85°F (29°C) inshore and 87°F (30.5°C) offshore,
with the clean water line at nearly 20 miles (32 km).
Captain Temo Verboonen offered a truly upbeat fishing scenario for this past week in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo, and basically said the fish are really biting very well and everyday.
The DORADO are all nice quality fish in the 25-35 lb. ranges, the SAILFISH are eager and many, and the waters in general are near perfect, not only calm, but good temperatures, too.
The inshore fishing remains red-hot with
good catches of SPANISH MACKEREL (SIERRA) and big JACK
CREVALLE, along with RAINBOW RUNNERS and BIGEYE JACKS at
the rocks. And of course, the ROOSTERFISH are still readily available
and biting very well on both, live bait and pencil poppers.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Partly cloudy days with temps from
72°F (22°C) nights to 92°F (33°C) daytime highs and
a bit humid.
Sea Conditions: Near perfect, good overall stable temps throughout
the area, holding at 87-88°F (30-31°C), excellent clarity and
calm.
Best Fishing Area: Almost all the fish are within a few miles
of the Zihuatanejo Bay entrance, with SAILFISH starting at just
5 miles out.
Bait Supply: Remains very good for both MULLET (LISA) and CABALLITOS (GOGGLE
EYES).
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, "we can count the anglers on the dock with one hand!"
While the fishing remains very good right now, especially for SAILFISH and DORADO, there are very few anglers to take fishing.
The SAILFISH are in the 80-90 lb. average sizes and the DORADO are in the 50 lb. class.
The inshore fishing is still producing big ROOSTERFISH,
albeit, it was more difficult to locate the fish this past week and live
bait was the hot ticket item for them. There has also been a fair bite
on SIERRA and JACK CREVALLE.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Sunny & warm days, temps from
73°F (23°C) nights to 93°F (34°C) daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Excellent! Clean blue
water within a couple of miles of the Bay. Sea surface temp
at 30°C.
Best Fishing Area: Excellent sailfishing just 4 miles from the
entrance to the Bay.
Best Bait/Lure: SAILFISH were eager to bite the rigged
trolling baits as were some bigger DORADO, too. ROOSTERFISH best
on the live bait.
Bait Supply: Good availability.
You just gotta love the fish reports from Captain Temo Verboonen. For the most part, they are short, to the point and usually exciting to the point where I have to call to see why he gets so excited and gather a few more adjectives for our report.
Here's his report for the week: "Fish all over deep sea and inshore. Very productive fishing days. SAILFISH still close, 4 miles from the beach. Couple of big WAHOOS this week. DORADOS are plenty in 10-15 lb. range. ROOSTERFISH bite live bait and pencil poppers and good action. Ocean is calm with sunny and warm days."
It's really a great fish report and covers a great deal of information
for the past week and sounds like a place I should be...
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Partly sunny days with temps from
74°F (23°C) nights to 94°F (34°C) daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Warm water in close & out to the thousand
fathom curve at 90°F (32°C) and falling slightly to 88.5 (31.4°C)
beyond the curve. Mostly calm.
Best Lure/Bait: Rigged baits for the SAILFISH, live bait
and red- white pencil poppers for the ROOSTERFISH, DORADO biting
good on the live bait drop backs and the smaller tuna feathers.
Bait Supply: Plenty of bait in the bay
Adding to the excitement of the quality ROOSTERFISH bite in Zihuatanejo is the upswing in the SAILFISH numbers over the past week.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, the ROOSTERFISH bite remains excellent, albeit, the port was closed for 3 days due to high swell conditions, and they are seeing many ROOSTERS in the 50 lb. ranges.
The SAILFISH moved a little more offshore to the 10-15 miles mark and finally decided to bite, producing some very good release days.
Still lots of DORADO around and the boats that are fishing report several everyday.
Overall, the fishing/catching is very good and a good variety for both inshore and offshore catches.
All we need are more anglers.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Mostly cloudy days with temps from
72°F nights to 94°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Near excellent, calm, temps from 82°F inshore to
85°F offshore.
Best Fishing Areas: Valentin Point, just south of Zihuatanejo
for the ROOSTERFISH; SAILFISH at 10-15 miles, along with DORADO in
between.
Best Bait/Lure: Live bait and red & white pencil poppers
for the ROOSTERFISH. Rigged baits for the SAILFISH.
Bait Supply: Excellent
According to Temo, the red & white pencil poppers have been working exceptionally well this year for the ROOSTERFISH, almost as well as live bait, and the bite has been exceptional, too. The weather has been near perfect, allowing the boats to fish in tight to the beach, allowing for hot pencil popper action.
The schools of DORADO are moving up in size, averaging near 20
lbs., and the SAILFISH are "really close to land" and
biting very well this past week. Our problem is lack of anglers and very
few fishing days for the entire fleet.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Mostly cloudy with temps from 71°F
nights to 94°F daytime highs and a bit on the humid side.
Sea Conditions: Excellent! Temps are at 84°F inshore and
rising to 86°F offshore, with good clarity close in shore.
Mostly calm with little wind or swell.
Best Fishing Area: The BILLFISH are just "out in
front of Zihuatanejo Bay", within just a couple of miles. Good DORADO action
from about 2 miles offshore and of course, the ROOSTERFISH bite
is good as it gets, with superb action at the Valentin River to the
Antennas. Still lots of RAINBOW RUNNERS at the rocks in front
of Ixtapa.
Best Lure/Bait: Live bait is working superbly but also the red & white
pencil poppers are "red hot", too, for those that can cast
them toward the beach.
Captain Temo Verboonen says the rainy season is upon them and is changing both the weather and the water. It's now blue water inshore with several schools of DORADO averaging about 15 lbs. and an excellent bite on quality sized ROOSTERFISH, many in the 40-60 lb. ranges. Lots of RAINBOW RUNNERS and BONITO around the rocks and overall, just very good daily action when the boats do get out.
Offshore provided some good YELLOWFIN TUNA action at about 25 miles, with the fish in the 25-30 lb. average ranges. The SAILFISH bite has also been quite good, but for the most part they have been very close inshore at about 2 miles from the entrance to Zihuatanejo Bay
Most of the river mouths are now open with water flowing into the ocean
from the rains in the mountains. Need more anglers to take advantage
of the good overall bite.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Partly cloudy days, temps from 70°F
nights to 92°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Light surface breezes, good temps, 85°F inshore to
86.5°F offshore, mostly clean waters.
Best Fishing Area: SAILFISH at about 2 miles; TUNA at
about 25 miles; ROOSTERFISH and RAINBOW RUNNERS close
to shore.
Best Bait/Lure: Live bait for the ROOSTERFISH, rigged
baits for the SAILFISH and feathers for the TUNA.
Bait Supply: Remains good.
Captain Temo Verboonen reports very favorable conditions from Zihuatanejo with warm, blue waters and good fishing just a mile outside the bay. He reports DORADO in big schools and they are catching easy limits on a daily basis. The SAILFISH action has been slow, but not for the lack of fish. Just been a lack of biters.
The inshore fishing is red hot for ROOSTERFISH in the 40-50 lb. ranges and they have been fairly eager to chew on the pencil poppers and the live bait. The ROOSTERS are chasing the anchovey/sardine schools and the diving birds are pointing out the movements of the fish. It's fast & lively action for the light tackle anglers.
Also in the near shore waters are good catches of RAINBOW RUNNERS and BIG EYE JACKS, which have been biting best on the trolling feathers and deep-running lures.
Overall, Temo says it's really fun fishing this are right now and he
would expect this type of action to continue right on through to the
late fall.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Some cloudy days with temps ranging
from 71°F nights to 91°F daytime highs. Some rain in the mountains
this past week.
Sea Conditions: Calming off and bluing up
with temps at 86-87°F from inshore to offshore.
Best Lure/Bait: Rigged baits for the BILLFISH. Live bait & poppers
(fast retrieve) for the ROOSTERS.
Capt. Temo reported 2 days of port closure at Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo as
Tropical Storm Andres passed northwards off the Mexican coast early in
the week. Rain and river runoff were beginning to discolor water along
the beaches. Very few anglers fished at Ixtapa Zihuatanejo. Some boats
are starting annual maintenance with a positive view to next season.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Weather: Partly cloudy at 90°F with humidity
and some evening rains.
Sea Conditions: Calming but still with some high waves close
to shore, water temperatures holding at 85°F.
Captain Temo reported some SAILFISH caught as close as 2 miles out of Zihuatanejo Bay, but no TUNA or MARLIN found.
RAINBOW RUNNER are biting together with DORADO at Los Morro de Potosí, and ROOSTERFISH are gaining momentum at the mouth of Río Valentin, 15 miles south of Zihuatanejo. The ROOSTERFISH are mixed with JACKS in deeper water, and the Z-Wing downriggers are working well.
Very few boats fished at Ixtapa Zihuatanejo as tourist traffic remained
light. With so few boats fishing, it's more difficult to track the fish.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Weather: Mostly cloudy at 90°F.
Sea Conditions: Mostly calm with water temperatures at 87 to
88°F.
Bait Supplies: Good
The ever changing water temps, clarity and overall conditions over the past 10 days have allowed for significantly improved fishing and the cleaner waters are now within 15 miles of the bay. This is a real plus for the skippers and the anglers.
The YELLOWFIN TUNA bite remains at the 30-50 miles offshore areas, with an average of 40 lbs. However, the BILLFISH are in the blue water at about 15 miles from the entrance to Zihuatanejo Bay and two fish over 400 lbs. were landed this past week. The SAILFISH are showing but not biting, but that will change with the overall conditions and feed biomass availability in the area.
The inshore fishing is still very good and the ROOSTERFISH are showing well now, along with many JACK CREVALLE, NEEDLEFISH, a few RAINBOW RUNNERS and more. Live bait and red/white pencil poppers are working very well for the inshore fishing.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, the biggest problem of all is
the lack of business with an average of only a single super panga per
day fishing.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Partly cloudy days with temps from
72°F nights to 92°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Much improved, both inshore and offshore,
with temps ranging from 78-79°F inshore to 83°F offshore and
returning to good clarity and light surface winds.
Best Fishing Area: In the 15-18 mile areas for the BILLFISH and
30-50 miles for the YELLOWFIN TUNA. The inshore fishing
has been both, north & south of the bay and within a mile or so
of the beach.
Best Bait/Lure: Live bait for the inshore fishing, along
with red/ white pencil poppers. Slow trolled rigged BONITO for
the BILLFISH.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, the ROOSTERFISH have finally started to show up and long overdue. While the BILLFISH bite has been way off for this time of year due to the clarity of the water stretching offshore for 50 or so miles and more, there have been a few clean water pockets that did produce on occasion.
The inshore action, in addition to the ROOSTERFISH, continues to be very productive and even the DORADO have moved to the inshore bite areas. The Secuestro De Amor, reporting for an offshore fly fishing day reflected 1 YELLOWFIN TUNA and 1 MARLIN lost, and for one inshore fly fishing day was one DORADO, 10 BONITO and 4 JACK CREVALLE.
The Dos Hermanos boats, both fishing inshore, reflected
5 ROOSTERFISH, 17 DORADO, 15 NEEDLEFISH, 41 JACK
CREVALLE, and 9 CHULAS using conventional and spinning tackle.
A 210 lb. BLUE MARLIN was taken in the offshore waters
on conventional tackle
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Mostly cloudy days with temps
from 73°F nights to 91°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Mostly calm waters but considerably
off color out to more than 50 miles with some minor clean pockets
scattered about. Temps were 84°F inshore to 85°F offshore.
Best Fishing Area: The few boats that are still fishing
are generally focusing on the inshore action at this time.
Best Lure/Bait: Live bait is working very well in
the inshore area as well as the red/white pencil poppers
and rapalas.
The YELLOWFIN TUNA bite has moved offshore to 30-plus miles and on out to the 50 miles mark. SAILFISH are now right at the 30 mile mark, too. Big DORADO are in the clean water areas, starting at about 28 miles offshore, but there is no concentration.
The inshore fishing remained excellent for the JACK CREVALLE, BONITO, CHULAS and SIERRA, along with an occasional ROOSTERFISH, too.
According to Temo Verboonen, only a few boats fished this past week
and some of the boats have started into their annual maintenance programs.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Partly cloudy days with temps from
73°F nights to 88°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Mostly calm, light surface breezes from the
southwest, temps from 82°F inshore and rising to 84-85°F offshore.
Best Fishing Area: The fish, especially the TUNA and SAILFISH,
have migrated farther offshore to areas that are generally
out of reach of an 8-hour fishing day.
Best Bait/Lure: Rigged trolling baits were best for the BILLFISH.
Live bait and pencil poppers for the inshore fishing.
Captain Temo Verboonen reported another week of very difficult offshore fishing conditions as the greenish off-colored water pushed out to about 50 miles or so and severely hampered the BILLFISH action as well as the DORADO and TUNA action, all of which was virtually non-existent.
The inshore fishing remained quite good and there was excellent light tackle action for the JACK CREVALLE, CHULAS, BONITO and SIERRA.
The Secuestro de Amor landed the first ROOSTERFISH in
more than a month. The 30-pounder was taken from the midst of the giant JACK
CREVALLE school. It was one of those unusual and pleasant surprises
of the day and perhaps a sign of more to come.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Mostly sunny, warm and clear with
temps from 70°F nights to 89°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: The temps are excellent, holding at 80°F inshore and
rising to 81°F offshore, but the water clarity is poor
and very off-colored and extending out to 50 miles or more.
Best Lure/Bait: Live bait in the schools of JACK CREVALLE are
almost an instant bite. The surface poppers are doing very
well, too, especially in the red/white colors.
Bait Supply: Continues to be very good on a daily basis.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, the fishing was very difficult during the past week of the full moon phase and the offshore bite took a beating. While the offshore temps remained good, the clarity has changed and he reported some red tide conditions are starting to show up in some of the areas.
Beating the odds this past week was returning angler Lad Shunneson fishing three days with Captain Chiro aboard the Bloody Hook. Although they were shut out on one day, they did manage a SAILFISH and nice DORADO on the second day. On the third day Mr. Shunneson realized a life long dream landing an estimated 500 lb BLACK MARLIN. This fish put Mr. Shunneson within 2 BILLFISH of catching at least one of every BILLFISH specie.
Temo reported some patches of red tide showing
up in various areas offshore, but for now, the inshore areas
remain clear.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Sunny, warm and clear skies, cool
morning temps from 70°F nights to 90°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Calm waters with light surface breezes, temps
at 24°C inshore and rapidly rising to 26-28°C offshore.
Best Bait/Lure: Live bait was best for the inshore fishing,
but red/white pencil poppers were also working very well.
Best Fishing Area: Offshore was not specified. Inshore the
best action was at the white rocks outside Ixtapa.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, the YELLOWFIN TUNA are picking up a little steam in the area, and catches were reported from about 10 to 40 plus miles or so.
Captain Luis Maciel of the Gringo Loco, fishing with angler Kent Anderson, captured a 160 lb. YELLOWFIN TUNA , along with a 200 lb. BLUE MARLIN for two days fished.
Returning angler Las Shunneson and friend Billie from the Pacific Northwest landed a STRIPED MARLIN and SAILFISH on their first day offshore with Captain Chiro aboard the Bloody Hook.
While the SAILFISH bite backed off a little, probably due to
the on-coming full moon, the TUNA and occasional BLACK & BLUE
MARLIN allowed for some excitement for the anglers. Also, the inshore action
for the JACK CREVALLE continues to be as good as it gets, along
with many BONITO and SIERRA.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Picture perfect, sunny warm and
clear skies, temps from 70°F nights to 90°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Mostly calm waters with light surface breezes,
temps at 74°F inshore and rapidly rising to 82-84°F offshore.
Best Fishing Area: The TUNA bite gets better the
farther offshore one gets, but there is some pretty good
action from the 10-mile mark.
Best Lure/Bait: The YELLOWFIN TUNA were best on
smaller feathers, 2-3 inchers, in the purple and pink colors. The JACKS were
best on live bait, but still, red and white pencil poppers were
also working well.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, our dockside representative, the fishing this past week was just so-so. He reports the BLACK & BLUE MARLIN are still chewing on the slow trolled down-rigger baits and are averaging around 200 lbs., but the fish have moved offshore with the water temperature changes.
The water apparently greened-up this past week and the boats were mostly fishing in the areas from 15 miles and on out from the entrance to Zihuatanejo Bay. The SAILFISH have been scattered about, too, with a few being caught in the off-colored greenish water, inside the 15-mile mark.
There's still a good inshore bite on the JACK CREVALLE for
the light tackle anglers. Overall, he says it's very slow on anglers
at the pier each day and not many boats going out.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Sunny, clear, warm & toasty,
temps from 71°F nights to 90°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Near perfect for calmness with only light
tropical surface breezes and little swell, with temps from 79°F
inshore to 81-82°F offshore.
Best Fishing Area: Starts at about 15 miles offshore and
outbound from there.
Bait Supply: Plenty of bait with no problem.
The blue water is very close to the entrance of Zihuatanejo Bay and the fishing begins at about 6 miles out. According to Captain Temo Verboonen, skipper of the Secuestro De Amor, there has been good action for both MARLIN and SAILFISH, with plenty of strikes each day. A surge in the WAHOO bite this week added to the overall catches, along with DORADO still providing good action, too.
The inshore is still alive with JACK CREVALLE and the
light tackle angling for those critters has been exceptional with a good
bite on the top water pencil poppers.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Sunny and clear days, wonderfully
warm, temps from 71°F nights to 90°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Inshore temps at 76°F and climbing
to 78°F at about 6 miles and jumping upward again to 80-81°F
at 20 miles.
Best Fishing Area: The offshore good bite area began
at about 6 miles from the mouth of the Bay, about a mile into the
clean, blue water.
Best Bait/Lure: Slow trolled MACKERAL from the downriggers
was most productive for the offshore fishing, and live bait
and pencil poppers were best for the inshore light tackle,
fishing for the JACK CREVALLE.
The BLACK and BLUE MARLIN bite has picked up considerably this past week with many boats having an opportunity at the trophy fish, trolling live MACKEREL or BONITO in the down riggers. Lots of SAILFISH showing and jumping, but resisting the bite and frustrating the crews.
Top producing boat for the week was the Bloody Hook, fishing out of the beautiful Casa Las Brisas in Puerto Vincente Guerrero with the Mr. Wright group, who landed 9 SAILFISH and lost one BLUE MARLIN in three long days of fishing.
The largest fish for the week was a 240 lb. BLUE MARLIN, taken aboard the sportfisher, Gringo Loco, while trolling a live bait deep.
The inshore fishing has remained good for JACK CREVALLE, SIERRA and BONITO
(BARRILETE) but still, lacking ROOSTERFISH.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Sunny, clear and warm days and
nights, temps from 72°F nights to 89°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Mostly calm with some westerly tropical
breezes, temps from 77-80°F inshore and rising to 82°F offshore.
While the temps are warm enough, the water is green out
to about 10 miles and goes from green to
a greenish-blue out from there,
which is obviously having an overall effect on the SAILFISH bite.
Best Fishing Area: The offshore fishing starts at
about 10 miles and farther offshore, into the cleaner, bluer waters.
Best Bait/Lure: Definitely, live BONITO or MACKEREL are
working best for the BILLFISH in the offshore waters. Inshore,
the JACKS are biting well on live bait and top-water plugs,
such as pencil poppers and the SIERRA are biting well on
smaller, shiny lures and smaller feathers.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, the SAILFISH and DORADO bite is still going strong this week, along with a better showing of the BLACK/BLUE MARLIN and schools of YELLOWFIN TUNA. The YELLOWFIN bite has been good, especially on smaller lures and feathers, along with the live bait and most of the fish are in the 20 lb ranges.
The inshore fishing remains good for JACK CREVALLE, SIERRA and BONITO,
but still, the ROOSTERFISH are lacking. Temo said the full moon
has had little if any effect on the fishing this time around, which has
been a plus for the anglers and the crews.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Sunny, warm and clear conditions,
temps ranging from 70°F nights to 91°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: A little cooler inshore at 80°F
and rising to 82°F offshore. Light swell activity and
light surface breezes.
Best Fishing Area: The inshore is producing the JACK
CREVALLE, SIERRA and BONITO. The offshore is
pretty good fishing at 10-12 miles and beyond and it appears that
the TUNA are attracting the bigger BILLFISH to that
area (BLACK & BLUE MARLIN love those TUNA).
Best Lure/Bait: Live bait & smaller TUNA feathers
working well for the TUNA and DORADO, and live BONITO and
smaller TUNA working well for the BILLFISH.
Bait Supply: There has been no bait problems for some time,
and it continues to be readily available.
Good, clean & blue water, moved with 6 miles of the Zihuatanejo Bay and with that the SAILFISH counts shot up on a daily basis.
Fair BLUE MARLIN action was being found offshore at about 16 miles or so, but the fish were smaller, in the 160 lb. ranges. According to Captain Temo Verboonen, there was good DORADO action at eleven miles on a current line with floating debris.
The inshore waters were offering good JACK CREVALLE action
along with SPANISH MACKEREL (SIERRA) and big RAINBOW
RUNNERS.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Wonderful climate, balmy nights
and warm days, mostly sunny, temps from 72°F nights to 90°F
daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Mostly calm waters, light surface breezes,
temps from 82°F inshore to 83°F offshore
Best Bait/Lure: Rigged MULLET (LISA) were doing very well
for the BILLFISH anglers.
According to Captain Temo Verboonen, the BILLFISH were all over the place and in good numbers, but mostly unwilling to bite. The overall bite was moving about the area from day to day and the blue water has moved back offshore a little farther. Still, the boats are managing from 1-6 strikes a day on the BILLFISH, but compared to the numbers of BILLFISH being seen, that is a very slow bite ratio.
The inshore fishing has picked up considerably for POMPANO, JACK
CREVALLE and BONITO, but no ROOSTERFISH.
Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo Climate: Mostly sunny and warm days, temps
from 72°F nights to 88°F daytime highs.
Sea Conditions: Calm, water temps from 82°F inshore to
83°F offshore.
Best Fishing Area: None! The BILLFISH are jumping
everywhere in the offshore waters but it's the "luck
of the draw" on finding the biters.
Best Bait/Lure: Rigged baits working well for the BILLFISH but
live bait working better.
We operate Ixtapa
Sportfishing Charters and receive weekly sportfishing reports
and would be most happy to provide them to you via e-mail upon your request.
Please drop us a line at anytime for information or charters.
Sincerely,
Stan Lushinsky & Susan Richards
www.ixtapasportfishing.com
(in the U.S.) Phone 1-717-688-9466; Fax 1-717-688-9554
e-mail: ixtsptf@verizon.net
