Beiträge von vseasport

East Cape continues to rock and roll
I believe it is safe to say our weather has turned the corner. Water temperature in the Sea of Cortez has dropped from 87-88 to 85 degrees as days get a little shorter. Walking the beach this morning at day break I could almost feel a chill in the air. Visitors still feel it is plenty warm but myself being acclimated to the heat and humidity can detect a change.

The difference in weather has not affected aggressiveness of game fish. Billfish, dorado and tuna all have a big appetite and have been pleasing anglers with no relief for several months now. Last week we had our first double hook up of the season with blue marlin. There was a third fish in our lure pattern and I'm glad it missed our stinger rig. One blue marlin is a hand full and having 2 hooked at the same time is pure chaos.

Accurate Fishing Products, Jack Nilsen recently fished with us for a few days. Not only does Jack make the finest reels on our planet he has become very proficient at putting together great video that depicts the action. If you love to fish this will surely give you a stiffy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha5r76NVq1o

In other news this is the height of our sea turtle season and conservationist Noe Ariza has harvested more than 20,000 eggs from our beaches for incubation in our East Cape nursery. Baby turtles from the nursery are now being released daily.

Jen Wren skipper Chuy Cota aka "Captain Tuna" was the big money winner in the Buds and Suds invitational last week bringing the largest tuna to the scale both days of the event.

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Striped marlin

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Blue marlin

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Sailfish

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Dorado

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Yellowfin tuna

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Noe Ariza out every morning at first light saving the turtles

Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

[SIZE="4"]The come back kid
Outstanding East Cape fishing continues with tuna and dorado filling anglers coolers and billfish putting on a show. Availability of good bait has made it easy to get the game fish to cooperate. Humbolt squid has been the mainstay for more than a month but now live sardines have become available adding to our arsenal.

Both baits are working well on all species. Last week while fishing for tuna off La Ribera we had a double hookup on marlin using sardines. Slow trolling humbolt tentacles has worked well on the dorado and once in a while a billfish will also bite this bait.

Tuna have been less consistent providing limits one day and vanishing the next then reappearing a day or two later.

Tropical storm Manuel made landfall in mainland Mexico and devastated the area around Acapulco with flooding and winds. We hoped that would be the demise of the storm but remnants have re-entered the Pacific and Manuel appears to be making a come back. Forecasters are unsure at this point but feel the storm may strengthen and travel up the Sea of Cortez. Will our luck hold out? Only time will tell.

This week downloading my cameras I found some cool billfish photos and have posted them up.
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[SIZE="5"]Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841[/SIZE]

Almost out of the woods
It is typical for the East Cape to endure tropical storm weather in August and September. This season has been no exception and storm after storm has had impact on us. It will just be a few more weeks and we should be out of woods for the potential of a hurricane.

The good news is the storms that have passed by have dumped several inches of needed rain and our desert looks like a tropical jungle. More good news is we haven't experienced any strong winds or damage. Luckily there has only been a couple of days that the Sea of Cortez was not fishable and charters were canceled. As each system arrived it did slow down the bite a bit but boats braving the weather were able to score. After each low pressure system it only took a day or two for game fish to become active again.

Latest scoop is sardines are available for purchase from pangeros near the La Ribera marina. Just a few handfuls of chum on high spots in the area has done the trick to get yellowfin tuna going.

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Between storms conditions have been stellar

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Sailfish action

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Rain made water temp drop

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Cooler water made marlin pop

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Lots of billfish action

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Lots of schoolie dorado

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Ceviche time!

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Still a few big bulls mixed in

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Yours truly with Accurate Jack solving all the worlds problems the day after Tropical storm Lorena passed.

Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

In the dark of the moon
The outstanding fishing we have been experiencing most of this season has slowed. In fact I would call this week the toughest fishing of the summer. That is not to say we are not having success. It is just not insanely good like it has been.

Billfish have become hard to find. Fish we do find are jugged with squid and don't want to bite. Tuna have not wanted to cooperate as well. There are lots of porpoise schools holding tuna 20 to 40 miles off shore but the fish have become boat shy and also line shy. Even the inshore roosterfish have become lethargic and are not aggressive.

It is a little odd that coming off the dark of the moon game fish don't want to go. It kind of shoots down the full moon theory as the last 2 full moons have been full speed fishing. I believe it is because there is so much squid in the water. If you ate Snickers bars all day you might not want lunch.

Looking at the photos I have posted below conditions certainly aren't bad. We are just working harder to make it happen.

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A couple of dandies went for the chunked squid

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Working hard pays off

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More schoolie sized dorado and less quality this week

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Hard to get the marlin to go

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Ron Wade met his match

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Nice fish!

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Tom Bocarelli and his buddies had a couple of tough days but hung in and it paid off.

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The wind blew one day so we decided to stay inside and filled the box with nice snapper

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Roberto nailed this bad boy while we were on anchor cleaning up Jen Wren

The best source for the latest East Cape fishing conditions "like"
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Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

No stinking badges!
It has been another action packed week on the East Cape. Striped marlin, yellowfin tuna and dorado are all on the prowl. Now a few blue marlin are showing and a huge volume of humblot squid have arrived.
It is pretty hard to go out on the water and have a tough fishing day right now. That is not to say there aren't lulls in the action but at the end of the day if your fish box isn't full something went wrong.

The marlin are not all over the board like it has been and are mostly just a couple of miles off the beach. Tuna are with the spotted and spinner dolphin and spots are being found to the north and south from just a couple miles off the beach to 40 miles out. It is anybody's guess where they will be tomorrow.

Over the last couple of weeks it appears to me a huge fuss has been made over the fact that Mexico is no longer offering paper fishing licenses. Now the only way to obtain one is on line. Some negative press has come out which has caused some of our clients to contact us in a bit of a panic.

I'm here to tell you the new system is better than the old one. It is just Gringo nature to need something to worry about. We are buying licenses for our clients on line for less money than before. We know the money is going where it belongs and can print as many copies of a persons license as they want. For the day guy that may not mean much, but for a guy that frequents Mexico it is very convenient to make as many copies as a person wants.

Enough of that. We just installed an entire new Simrad electronics package on Jen Wren. Simrad's new NSS touch screen multi function GPS's are incredible. It is almost a curse because after using one it is hard to go back to the old technology. We also installed a new 400lb a day ice maker in our boat house. Now that we are making snow the fish coming off the Jen Wren boats are nice and frosty.

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This bad boy fell for the plastic. The dodos are not full speed but we are finding one in our fish box most days

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That looks like a ceviche smile to me

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Tuna candy is here!

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Bill fishing has been exceptional

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Hang baby hang!

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Don't try this at home boys and girls. It is not as easy as Diego makes it look

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Look close and you will see a red coronet tail in this stripers mouth. The marlin reminds me of my labrador retriever. When we grabbed to release it, there was a half dozen tails hanging out of his mouth, but by the time I found my camera the fish had sucked them all down.

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Great way to start the day

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Buttoning up after a great day fishing.

The best source for the latest East Cape fishing conditions "like"
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Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

Tell me why?
It has been another banner week on the East Cape with very constant action for all anglers. I have run out of ways to describe how sick the bite is.

If you are reading this report and haven't just returned from fishing or just getting ready to go I would like to know why? The weather couldn't be nicer, the Sea of Cortez hasn't yielded like this in a long time and airfares to Los Cabos are at a bargain price.

The Dorado Shoot out and EC Bisbee are now behind us for 2013. While no record breaking monster fish were landed both events were well attended, very successful and loads of fun. During the Bisbee 183 striped marlin and sailfish were released. Good lord, teams weren't even fishing for those species.

Broadbill swordfish are still popping up everyday. We had one in our sights today on Jen Wren III but it sank out before we could present a bait.

Mark Rayor OUT! I'm going fishing!

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Dorado

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Tuna

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Record numbers of marlin

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Lit up!

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Puttin on a show

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Diego has a live one

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Sea of Cortez always exciting! Orcas among us

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It's a bird no, it's a plane no

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it is a monster hammerhead

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Turtle season is here. Momma tracks up the beach to make her nest.

The best source for the latest East Cape fishing conditions "like"
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Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

History
East Cape fishing remains incredible and I am seeing nothing but smiling faces at the end of the day.

Ed Pafford of Bakersfield visited the East Cape the first time in 1981. As he described " the first year we took a jet to La Paz and then a DC3 to the East Cape. We didn't know where we were going and the plane just dropped the 6 of us in the desert". Ed has returned to the East Cape every year since. Last week after his first day he came up in the bridge of Jen Wren III and described his day as "the best I have ever experienced". That is a mouth full but true for most anglers visiting our area right now.

Marlin, sailfish, dorado and wahoo have all been giving anglers a hand full. After showing up a bit late the tuna bite has just gone insane. Even Broadbill swordfish have made an unprecedented July showing. To top it off our weather has been outstanding.

Boys and girls I can't imagine how it could get much better.

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Ed Pafford pulled a white bonito out of the middle of a tuna bite

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Yellowfin showed up late but are now in huge numbers

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Small reel nice fish

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Full fish boxes are norm

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Swordfish in July. Unheard of!

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Proud grandfather.

The best source for the latest East Cape fishing conditions "like"
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Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

Don't let the door hit you in the tail!
Holy Cow! No joke, we are experiencing the best fishing I can remember in many years. Billfish are aggressive and can be found anywhere from 3 miles off the beach to 30 or 40 miles out in any direction where schools of spotted and spinner dolphin are holding tuna. Most of the tuna are 10 to 20 pounds but there has been some bruisers in excess of 200 pounds brought to the scales in the last week. Dorado have not been as plentiful but most of the fish landed have been trophy size.

Most days we have been returning with a mixed bag of tuna, dorado and billfish. Oh, and lets not forget about the swordies.

Broadbill swordfish have also made an unprecedented July showing. At least one or two fish are being sighted everyday and three were brought to East Cape scales this week. After sighting several we finally got one to go. It was a one hour ten minute battle and the fish weighed in at 165 pounds.

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I love when we have to use the transom door. We were all standing around in a daze after the battle when this swordfish came to life and tried to jump back in the water. It was no easy job subduing the gladiator of the sea jumping up and down on the deck. It was a scramble to get the door shut.

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Yours truly with lucky angler Drew Hagen. This fish was landed on the Accurate Boss B2-30 in the photo. The day prior we landed 150 pound tuna on the same reel.

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Big tuna! Are we having fun yet?

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Halco Lazer Pros and Accurate reels are a deadly combo

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Reid Jenkins and his buddies sharing his birthday tuna

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Limits of tuna and smiles all around

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Alan Mouchawar shared this photo of his son landing a nice yellowfin on Jen Wren

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All the dorado have been good grade

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This fish bit a marlin lure

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This fish pigged out on a green jack

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Choking up squid. I believe the abundance of squid has contributed to the huge volume and variety of gamefish we are enjoying.

The best source for the latest East Cape fishing conditions "like"
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Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

A non-event
The bite has been epic all week and then came Hurricane Erick. It was a storm that threatened to take a path right through Cabo's back yard. In the end it hit cooler water, fell apart before getting here and turned into a non-event. Not enough rain to measure and not enough wind to cause concern.

Hurricane Cosme that skirted us 2 weeks ago did turn the water in shore upside down and made it cold and ugly green. There is a hard break at about 20 miles and game fish are piled up out there just waiting to put anglers to the test. Marlin, dorado, tuna and an occasional wahoo are all on the menu.

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Dorado are not huge in numbers but are huge fish when you hang one.

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84 year old Peter Gavallos still hittin it hard

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That big tuna was landed with that little Accurate Boss reel. They are sweet.

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Marlin are as thick as cockroaches

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Putting on a show

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This old guy keeps showing up on my camera roll. Looks like he might be starting to lose his hair?

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Live bait is a little hard to come by in the mornings but easy to catch at the bouys. These "camisa's" pilot fish have been like candy

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Simrad's touch screen technology is the bomb. Would hate to have to go back to the old stuff. Among many other features finding the temperature breaks are easy.

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First billfish, a wonderful family memory.

The best source for the latest East Cape fishing conditions "like"
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Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

Then Cosme blew by
Last week I couldn't emphasize enough how epic fishing was. Last Monday afternoon when we tied up our boats for the day the water temperature was 85 degrees and conditions couldn't have been better. Then Hurricane Cosme blew by. It wasn't a big storm as storms go and passed more than 250 miles south of us. It did have an adverse effect on our conditions though. Thursday morning I fired up Jen Wren III to go fishing and discovered the water temp had dropped below 64 degrees. Holy smokes more than a 20 degree drop in two days.

Now 5 days later we are still running out 20 miles to find bluish color water in the high 70's. Closer to shore the water is an ugly green and cold. On the outside things have perked up. The marlin and dorado bite is decent again and more schools of spotted and spinner dolphin are being found holding tuna. Live bait has been a huge problem but now the shark buoys on the outside are all loaded with camisetas, horilitos, and bullet tuna. With just a few drops of a sabiki a bait tank can be plugged with great bait.

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Holy smokes! Am I still in Mexico? This week having surface temps at our finger tips from the satellite weather on our Simrad touch screen plotters have been huge in finding the breaks and warmer water.

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Bendo!

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Most of the dorado have been quality bulls. This baby went 50lbs

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Sitting Bull with a bull

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Speaking of bulls, a bull shark got the better part of this tuna

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Landed our first blue of the year.

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Mark Locken pulled the old bucket trick on his brother. He was very impressed with how well our Accurate reel performed. A slow bite doesn't stop us from havin fun.

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Marlin bite is bouncing back.

The best source for the latest East Cape fishing conditions "like"
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Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

Moon is bright, fish wana bite.

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"Super Moon Weekend" and the laundry is out.

So much for the "fish don't bite on the full moon" theory.

The bite started to come on strong the 1st of June and now we are experiencing the best fishing of the season. In fact the bite is better than anytime I can recall last year.

The billfish can be found almost anywhere in East Cape waters and the bite is just ridiculous It reminds me of Mag Bay fishing. It is not uncommon for boats to have double and triple hook ups and return having released numbers in double digits.

Now yellowfin tuna have arrived on the scene as well. Several schools of spotted dolphin have moved in all holding tuna. Most of the tuna are pee wee size but hit the right school and there are some bruisers Yesterday a 176 pounder was brought to the scale. A few good grade wahoo are also mixed in feasting on football tuna.

Dorado are not schooled up in numbers but the ones being found are trophy sized bulls.

Our weather couldn't be nicer and fishing is about as good as it gets.

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Nothing as beautiful as a big bull dorado

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Our AFTCO bat being put to the test

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13 year old Austin Miller with his first dorado. It weighed in at 58 lbs.

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The marlin bite is insane

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This is how they come unbuttoned. Check out the hook on this fishes bill. As soon as he shakes his head it is adios amigo

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Ready for release

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Lots of sailfish in the mix

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Sashimi time!

The best source for the latest East Cape fishing conditions "like"
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Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
http://www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
US cell 310 308 5841

Game over!
East Cape weather has been picture perfect this week with calm seas and warm sunny days. There is a hint of humidity during the day. Water temps are now consistantly above 80 degrees

For the last month billfish have been spawning and have not had much of an appetite. It has been a cat and mouse game as they would be attracted to baits presented but just bat them around not allowing a hook set. We were having lots of events but only scoring on one out of five or six. The spawn is over and so is the little game. Now fish are hungry aggressively attacking lures trolled and sucking down baits.

Dorado and wahoo remain in the game as well but are scattered with no concentration. Most of the dorado are good grade in the 30 to 45 pound range but most of the wahoo are relatively small. In shore huge schools of jack cravelle are foaming on baits and roosterfish are also becoming active.

On another note. After 20 years of serving the East Capes scuba and snorkel requests we have liquidated Vista Sea Sport and will now just concentrate on fishing.

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Marlin have become aggresive

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No more games

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Roosters are starting to go

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Lots of stripers

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Big bulls

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10 year old Thomas Agajanian with his first striper

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Jake Agajanian bagged the 46 pound bull

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Tim bonding with his boys.

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Mark Rayor
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US cell 310 308 5841

Missing in action!

It has been an outstanding week with sailfish, striped marlin, dorado and wahoo providing an incredible amount of action. A huge volume of gamefish are spread out off shore over most of East Cape's waters. Boats can head out off shore in almost any direction and find fish. The key is finding bottle nose porpoise and storm petrols working. Find the birds and the porpoise and the fish are sure to be close by.
Finding live bait has been a difficult and sometimes impossible task but ballyhoo have been working well. I believe it is the many pods of bottle nose in the area feasting on bait that has made it so difficult.

Noticeably absent from the game are yellowfin tuna. Normally here by the first part of May it is anybody's guess why they haven't shown. It is lucky the billfish have been holding up their end providing non-stop action while we wait to see when the tuna will appear. On several occasions while watching our jig pattern I'll spot sailfish under one jig... oops two jigs... OOPS every jig out there is being stalked by a billfish! Now that's what I'm talkin about. All of this plus warm days and calm seas it doesn't get any better!

We were pleased to have AFTCO's Greg Stotesbury and Vivian Hayes fish with us several days. Stotes is an accomplished angler and was blown away by how many opportunities we were presented with.

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Sailfish have appeared in force

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Taking up the slack

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Double hook up for team AFTCO

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Greg putting on the heat.

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Vivian is close

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Pez vela

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Say ahhh

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Bottle nose frolic but tuna are MIA

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Lots of good grade dorado

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Ceviche time!

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Love our fiberglass AFTCO gaffs. Look at that baby flex!

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Greg and Vivian with a dandy

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Bulls

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Marlin are lighting up the East Cape!

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One picture is worth a thousand words

The East Cape has lit up! It is report time and I'm out of words. Just going to let TODAYS photos do the talking.

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Any which way but loose!

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I was going to start this weeks report by describing the fishing as slow but that is not accurate. After looking at some of the photos we captured a better description is spotty.

Conditions couldn't be nicer with warm sunny days, calm seas and tidy bowl blue water pushing 80 degrees. The sea is alive with huge spots of bait, turtles and manta rays. Striped marlin dorado and wahoo are all on the prowl. The only fish noticeably missing for this time of year is yellowfin tuna. They showed up late last year and it looks like this is going to be another late appearance.

The game fish have been spread over a large area with no real concentration. It has been a matter of working hard for the opportunity to present itself and being ready to take advantage. In an effort to increase action we have tried many different technics this week and found them all effective but none have triggered more action. It is just a waiting game paying our dues.

"Mr Lucky" aka Accurate Jack Nilsen fished with us this week and lived up to the name I have donned him. He wasn't on Jen Wren III 10 minutes when we hung a wahoo that weighed in excess of 60 pounds. This guy could fall in a bucket of you know what and end up with a hoo by the tail.

Also with us was Simrad's electronics wizzard Tito Perez. Every time he visits we learn more about our Simrad electronics and the tools we have to catch more fish. I may be sleeping in the bodega for a while but couldn't resist ordering 2 new NSS combination plotters for Jen Wren. Now both boats will have matching killer gear.

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US cell 310 308 5841
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Current events
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Satellite weather on our Simrad NSS 12 displays surface temperature. This shot shows how a cold current has pushed warm water our way. Having latest info at our finger tips really helps us find the temperature breaks

It is amazing how fast conditions can change. Last week the main body of schooling marlin were some 40 miles to the south and we were running down and fishing with boats coming up from Cabo San Lucas. Now a strong cold current has pushed the fish northward right into our front yard.

Right now it is not unusual to see 60, 80 or even a hundred marlin in a day jumping and tailing. The problem is they are in spawn mode and not very interested in baits we are offering. This happens every year where we go through a period that the bite is tough. Good news is they will get hungry soon and the sheer volume of fish we are looking at gives assurance that when they decide to go we will have our hands full. Also everyday a hand full of quality dorado and wahoo are being taken in the same area.

In shore the roosterfish bite has picked up a little but still far from full speed. We have sighted some Bubba sized fish but live bait has been hard to come by which is key for real success fishing on the inside.

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A few dorado are in the mix

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Lots of tailers

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Marlin surfing down swell are easy to spot

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Not many biters

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Diego lets this roosterfish go

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This bad boy munched a sardine off the beach at El Cardonal

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94 year old John Cary battling a roosterfish

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This crusty old guy didn't pay any attention to us.

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Sardines are hard to come by. We found a pangero selling them at Ceralvo Island one morning.

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W A N T E D A L I V E!

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The best game in town is striped marlin fishing. There has been a few dorado and wahoo in the counts but not like the last couple of weeks. As the hot marlin action off Punta Pescadero died a huge body of fish popped up south of Los Frailes. It is a bit of a run for us but once there the action has been non-stop. In shore the roosterfish are cooperating one day and gone the next. Live bait has been tough to come by making it hard to target the roosters. Tuna? We are just holding our breath.

The marlin action has been very entertaining but somewhat frustrating at the same time. By far rigged ballyhoo has attracted the largest percentage of fish. The problem has been they are grabbing the baits and just holding them in their beaks and not swallowing them down. We found rigging the ballyhoo with circle hooks to be most effective. The J hook swing was just yanking the bait away from the fish and tearing it up. With the circles we just point the rod at the fish and apply the brakes. If the we don't get a hook set the bait is not getting as torn up and the marlin will come after it again.

This method was working well and we thought we had it figured out until yesterday when we went 2 for 10 and ran out of ballyhoo. We released 2 fish and had action all day so it wasn't all bad. It was just amazing how many fish were there and how much opportunity we had.

I must say the smooth drag of an Accurate reel does make a difference. The twin drag is the real deal. It takes less inertia to start the spool turning with the brakes applied which results in less jerk. With less jerk greater pressure can be applied with less risk of line breakage. This week we had four guests catch their first marlin ever. Smaller reels and smoother drags makes even a beginner look like a pro.

Snapped a few good shots this week

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US cell 310 308 5841
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It was a mixed bag

Obviously East Cape game fish have not been studying the play book. The book says a little wind and chop on the water makes them go. This is the second week in a row that a couple of days of wind has driven the fish down and shut off the bite. Yesterday was the third day of calm since the blow and the place is perking back up again. A few boats in the area off Punta Pescadero had double and triple hookups on marlin in the late afternoon as the fish charged the jigs.

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Strike one

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Strike two

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Bingo!

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Nothing better than helping a kid get his first billfish

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Our first tuna of the season came on a fly

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No monsters but it is a start

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In shore is picking up as well

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Snapped a shot of Rick Collins before releasing this nice roosterfish
Accurate reels rock!

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Elephant seal is a very rare sighting for us. This photo does not give perspective of how mammoth in size these animals are.

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[Blockierte Grafik: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.…4534590/Accurate-blog.jpg]

Hello Sista
This week started as last week ended with great weather and tough fishing. Off shore we found 77 degree blue water loaded with game fish but they just wouldn't cooperate. As the week went on we experienced a couple of windy days and marlin seemed to disappear and none of the fleet boats were able to find the fish. It was very puzzling as normally marlin are easy to spot in the chop and become more aggressive in windy weather.

Well, after a couple of days the wind died, the current off shore changed direction, water temp dropped, it turned off color and the fish popped. It bewilders me how adverse conditions could make fishing better but all of a sudden the marlin have turned on and most boats are returning flying multiple flags.

Many fish are plugged with squid and spitting it up during battle. Our friend Andrew Hughes shared some photos of the squid that he snapped yesterday that I have posted below.

In shore has improved as well. I am starting to see more birds working the shore line and roosters and jacks crashing bait.

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Early in the week marlin strutted their stuff but wouldn't bite

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Finally! The bite has turned around

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We ran across the largest pod of orcas I have ever encountered. It was the first time I have ever seen 3 males in one group. Strange? We didn't see any sea lions that day

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Squid floating in the afternoon

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This shot was taken about a mile from the Cabo Riviera Marina entrance

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Buena Vista resident Andrew Hughes had some luck in shore.

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Am I seeing double?? Our neighbor Frank Fink has brought a sister ship to Jen Wren III to Buena Vista. This isk a welcome addition to help raise the bar and provide better service for guests visiting the East Cape.

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Every dog has their day.
This week I'm finding it hard to gather my thoughts to write a report. Trying to keep it positive I can say the weather has been gorgeous. Comfortable temperatures and dead flat seas. There has also been hoards of sea life. Humpback whales are near shore in Palmas Bay and putting on a show for anybody who cares to watch. This week we also sighted huge schools of porpoise and many sea turtles. That was the good news.

The tough news is there has been very little live bait available and the bite has been very slow. In shore there has not been much action on roosterfish, sierra mackerel or snapper. Off shore striped marlin can be seen jumping and tailing but for the most part have lock jaw. There are a few quality dorado being caught but no concentration so it is just a matter of being in the right spot at the right time. There have been a few broadbill sightings which is very exciting and a few of the guys down south have gotten them to go.

No matter how tough things are it seems like someone always gets em. One day this week while it was very slow for most, one boat fishing the same area as us went 4 for 10 on striped marlin. Fishing within sight of that boat we only had one bite all day. For the most part I feel the deck is stacked in our favor with all Accurate reels, Calstar rods and Simrad electronics but every dog has their day and it was ours. On an average most guys are sighting many fish but only really getting a couple legitimate shots at fish showing interest in the bait presented.

It is ironic how quickly folks will change travel plans based on a report like this. After all it is fishing and there is always going to be ups and downs. It is these types of over-reaction that cause some operators to always have glowing reports when maybe fishing is not wide open. They choose to talk about the boat that went 4 for 10 and not give perspective of what the East Cape fleet is doing. I can tell you just like Arnold the bite "will be back".

In wrapping this up I want to talk a little about our bait situation. Last week I received mail from one reader asking for a report on the live bait situation and expressing he wasn't coming down without assurance there would be live bait available. It made me think about the first broadbill swordfish I ever caught. It was April 1995 and we used a frozen greenback mackerel for bait. One might ask why frozen bait? The reason was no live bait was available. It would have been easy to stay home because we couldn't get bait. I chose to go fishing and ended up catching the fish of a lifetime instead. My point is that it all cycles. The game fish will turn on soon and we will also have live bait. With it or without it there is no reason to not go fishing and have a positive memorable experience.

Nothing more colorful than a dorado

Love those Accurate reels

April is prime time for swordies on the East Cape

Two boats no waiting

Lights out!

Another spectacular East Cape sunrise

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Moon is bright.
Fish won't bite.

This week started off the same as last week. Flat calm seas and a good bite almost everywhere.

At Ceralvo the key was finding bait with our Simrad sounder. Once on the meter mark it was just a matter of dropping a bait 200 plus feet and bendo! The yellowtail were instant. Closer to home dorado and marlin were plentiful and cooperative. In shore was also productive for sierra and roosterfish.

As the week wore on the moon got brighter and fishing got tougher. The bait at Ceralvo dried up and were nowhere to be found. The yellows were still there but without live bait it was hard to get em to go. Striped marlin were easy to find sunning on the surface but showed no interest in baits presented and would just sink out. Roosters and sierra also disapeared.

So the burning question. Was it the full moon turning off the fish and making bait hard to find or just the natural cycle of the sea? When the bite gets tough the fleet spreads out in search. Guys heading south some 40 miles to the distiladera found marlin and dorado very aggressive and kamikaze-ing baits. Also sighted were big meatballs of mackerel. That kinda shoots down the moon theory but kind of puzzling that the fish down south were hungry and the fish here were not. I can't explain it.

The good news is the fish from the south are moving this way. Yesterday we ran down south and ended up meeting boats from Cabo San Lucas in the middle. By the end of the day we had chased marlin all the way back to Los Frailes. I just hope they stay hungry.

East Cape full moon over the Sea of Cortez

There is an incredible showing of humpback whales in Palmas bay right now. I caught this young pup in mid air.

Gary Bielat of Houston Texas sent us this photo of his group on the Rancho Leonero pier after a great day of fishing on Jen Wren III. These guys instantly bonded with our crew and were about as much fun as they come.

Kevin Freeman in his last year at University of WA battles his first ever striper

The fish put on a show

The bite got tough at Ceralvo but Bob Bayt and Ray Hafsten still managed to sneak out a couple nice ones.

Dorado!

New deck hand Manuel (aka Chongo) Alberto Cosio Montes on his first day at the job. This guy has eyes like a hawk, loads of enthusiasm and is a character who loves life. I'm certain he will entertain everybody who gets to fish with him this season. He is the one on the right not to be confused with Ray Hafsten of Indianapolis on the left

Mahi mahi time

Wes Corbit of Santa Barbara releases his first ever striper on his birthday

Hmmm? Not easy to release a marlin with no snout to hang on to.

Diego bagged his families Samana Santa dinner yesterday afternoon right out front in 100 feet of water trolling a deep diving Rapala.

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It was a shake down
Spring is upon us and the weather for the past week has been about as nice as it gets. Cool evenings, warm days and seas as flat as a pancake.

The big issue the last few days has been finding live bait. A school of bottlenosed dolphin moved in and have been scattering all the mackerel and caballitos making it impossible for the East Cape bait pangeros to produce.

Ballyhoo have been plentiful and working well on dorado and striped marlin but for the yellowtail not so much. Jigging iron has produced a few fish but live bait is the ticket for real success. Without bait the forktail bite at the East Cape has become tough but there has been reports of a hot bite off Ceralvo Island.

A few days ago we launched Jen Wren III for the 2013 season. I have been antsing to get in on the yellows while the getting is good and decided to do an over nighter to the Island for our shakedown. The hot spot has been 38 miles away and I figured we could fish late, spend the night and be on the spot in the morning.

Cruising down the East side of Ceralvo the 40 some pangas all fishing in a small area was a dead giveaway that we were in the right spot. Metering a depth of 270 feet we dropped our ballyhoo and started fishing. One by one we could see the pangas around us hanging fish but we couldn't get them to go with our offerings. We tried to get a few different pangeros to sell us a few live bait but nobody was willing. The morning was pretty frustrating watching the other boats action until about 11:30 when Diego finally hung one. Shortly after I got lucky. We had finally broken the ice and things were looking up.

There was a second group of pangas about a mile from us and we decided to move and check them out. Just underway for a few hundred yards our Simrad sounder went off and we could see a huge school of bait at depth. A couple drops of the sabikis and we were in business with live mackerel and sardinetta. We pinned on the fresh bait and dropped them down on the same spot. Kazam! It was an instant triple hook up. We boated the fish and went looking for the bait again. Every time we dropped on meter marks it was an instant bite.

With limits we decided to just meter around and make bait for the following day. The bait always seemed to be ganged up just a few hundred yards away from the grouped up pangas. Making bait was easy except that the yellowtail kept hitting the bait we had just hooked on our sabikis. We tore up several bait rigs and lost a few sinkers but soon our tank was plugged.

It was a wonderful evening anchored up tight to the island listening to our music, preparing out of this world fresh hamachi sashimi and then dinner. There is nothing like having a limit under your belt. I thought star gazing at home was good but on a clear night out on the water it is spectacular.

In the morning we were on the spot in time to watch the sun rise over the Sea of Cortez. I thought we would slay them at first light and could meter bait but the yellowtail didn't seem to be with them. It was about 8AM when someone must have rung the breakfast bell and the bite was on. Before noon we had our second day of limits and with both of Jen Wren III's fish boxes plugged we headed for home.

It was the best shakedown trip the Jen Wren crew including myself has ever had.

Finally back in the saddle! It has been a long winter

Quality forktails in the 25 to 35 pound range

Diego's bit

Accurate reels rock!

I'm in the game! (is my forehead getting bigger?)

Chuy hangs a fish

Our Simrad was key to our success

When we finally figured it out the bite got silly

Limits of quality grade fish

It's hamachi time!

Nothing like it.

I never get tired of the sunrise over the Sea of Cortez

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Gooood Morrrning Sea of Cortez!
It looks like this is the pivotal week in East Cape weather changing from winter to spring. Air temperature has risen and north winds have calmed. Wind surfers and kite boarders had an excellent winter but are now packing it up. Traditionally Semana Santos (Easter Sunday) is the last blow of the season.

It is interesting that through the hard winter fishing remained good on days boats were able to get out. Striped marlin and dorado were on the menu continuously. Late January brought a few yellowtail and the morning bite has just continued to get better.

Some days getting live bait has been easy but when the humbolt squid come up over the 1,000 foot edge near by the fin bait disappears. Yo-yoing iron has been very effective getting the yellowtail to go when getting bait is tough.

Just a bit further off shore tailing striped marlin are being sighted in packs from south of Los Frailes to north of Pescadero. I also received a report that a friend of ours fished the Pacific side from Cabo yesterday and limited on Yellowfin tuna.

The East Cape, Sea of Cortez and southern Baja is heating up.

Chango's smile tells the tale. These tails were taken on live macks 2 miles off the beach of Buena Vista

Andres is Chango's great grandson. You can't get kids fishing too early

Jen Wren crew cashed in

Hummingbird update. Mama started on her nest the first week in February on the Jen Wren III bow pulpit. Her two eggs hatched March 1st and from the size of a jellybean the baby birds out grew the nest in 10 days. Last Sunday they flew the coop.

We installed a feeder close by with organic honey. I like to think it helped the mother bird and speeded the process and growth of the little birds. Now we are ready to rumble! Jen Wren III is getting wet this weekend.

Right place right time. I captured this shot of an osprey flying over our deck and posted it on Jen Wren Sportfishing Facebook page. It has had an unbelievable 18,000 views.

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Unfolding nicely
Over the last couple of years East Cape winters have been very mild. That is not to say we didn't have windy days and cool weather but it wasn't as I had remembered winter. This year has been more typical of the past with bone chilling strong north winds.

This past week we had small craft advisories 6 days out of seven. On the only calm day I heard reports of striped marlin stacked up off Punta Pescadero and a hot yellowtail bite on the East side of Ceralvo Island. All the signs are encouraging and I'm certain that one day soon this harsh weather will vanish as quickly as it arrived.

Meanwhile in Team Jen Wren camp things are unfolding nicely. Our boats are ready for action and it has come to the point that we are just waxing the wax waiting for spring.

I received an overwhelming response to my question how long does it take humming bird eggs to incubate. The general consensus was 3 weeks to hatch and 3 more before the new borns fledge the nest. A soothsayer and omniscient friend suggested putting a feeder close by so mama bird didn't have to venture far for food and could spend more time on her nest. Well, it worked! It has only been 2 weeks and yesterday the eggs hatched. Research tells me they will double size in a week and soon be too big for the nest. This is going to be a great year! I can feel it in my bones.

Now we are preparing for our Jen Wren exhibit at the Fred Hall Shows-The Ultimate Outdoor Experience in Long Beach California. We will be right across from the Accurate exhibit. This is the biggest show for the sportfishing industry on the West coast. I am pleased that 2 days fishing Jen Wren was selected as part of the grand prize vacation package give away for the show.

Accurate Jack Nilsen has produced several exciting Youtube videos that can be viewed at this link: http://www.youtube.com/playlis…5DF2EFF36&feature=edit_ok If the timing can be coordinated he has agreed to join the prize winner and produce a video of their experience fishing Jen Wren.

As a show special we are offering 2012 pricing for all reservations taken before March 15 to fish anytime during 2013.

Yes, everything is unfolding nicely.

If you are in the greater Los Angeles area next week please come see us. Here is a shot of my brother helping out.

Mama getting ready to feed her babies. The little birds are only about the size of a raisin. I haven't been able to capture a photo of them

Mama bird prefers to sit in a tree when we get to close.

Putting top shots on our Accurate arsenal

Lots of humpback whales in the area right now

I found these cool marlin BBQ lighters at West Marine. They will make great gifts. Seems like there is always at least one shark around

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Good Karma
Strong north winds shut down the great bite the East Cape had been experiencing for several days. Now after a 5 day blow it has backed off. Before the blow anglers were able to make Mackerel and sardines on the high spot just about 2 miles off Buena Vista in 300 feet of water. Soaking the freshly made bait in the same location was very effective to hook yellowtail. Most of the yellowtail have been quality grade between 30 and 40 pounds.

Just off the high spot in a thousand feet a huge volume of humbolt squid have shown up. Commercial fishermen have been harvesting the big squid by the ton. There has been a huge semi in town paying 4 pesos a kilo for the calimari from anyone wanting to sell it.

Last week we finally finished winter maintenance on the Jen Wren boats. Hot to trot I have been waiting for calm weather to launch Jen Wren III and get in on the yellowtail bite. Licking my chops getting ready to launch I discovered a hummingbird nesting under the bow pulpit of the boat. Looking at my options I believe it would be bad karma to disturb mama while she is sitting on her nest. I'm going to let this cycle of weather pass. Hopefully when the next cycle of calm arrives the little birdies will have flown the coop.

This has to be good karma

Anyone know how long it takes for hummingbird eggs to incubate? I want to go fishing.

Jen Wren III had a big Christmas with a complete new Simrad electronics package including two touch screen multifunction plotters in the bridge.

Who is that masked man? Last of our paint work is completed.

We pealed off all the teak trim on Jen Wren and replaced it with Starboard.
While other fleet boats have cut back we have been very ambitious maintaining and improving the Jen Wren fleet.

It has been pretty cool to have Big Bird walk with me on the beach every morning.

I had no idea how territorial blue herons are. This guy moved in and set up shop weeks ago.

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A magical place

East Cape has been experiencing the typical ups and downs of winter. Last week seas were calm and Yellowtail, snapper, marlin, dorado, sierra mackerel and Giant humbolt squid were all on the score card. This week brought strong north winds not allowing many to get on the water. The score card, well, the wind is starting to back off and the bite should pick up again.

The good news is Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow so you can take it to the bank we will have an early spring. It will only be 4 or 5 more weeks before we turn the corner of winter and start to experience more consistent good fishing conditions.

Many ask how I ended up in Mexico. My first visit to Los Cabos was 1973. At that time getting to the Pamilla hotel was like an adventure out of Indiana Jones. There were no direct flights. The first leg of the trip from TJ to La Paz was no problem as there was Jet plane service. The last leg was a different story. We took an old DC3 twin prop plane to a dirt runway a few miles from the Pamilla. The people operating the little plane had the attitude of the more the merrier. We don't need no stinking seats! After they were all occupied passengers would sit on milk crates in the aisles. Some holding bundles and bags similar to the sights on old Mexican busses. It was quite a scene.

Rickety old taxis would see the plane coming and make their way to the dirt landing strip. The road was kind of paved if you call a little black slurry over dirt pavement. There was huge pot holes, roaming live stock and no shoulders. It was an adventure-some ride in a car that smoked sputtered and hardly ran dodging the cattle and trying to avoid the pot holes. On my first visit a pig was being slaughtered on the side of the road right at the entrance to the hotel. Later we discovered that pig was our dinner.

From that time I frequented Los Cabos every couple of years. The DC3, horrible road and sub standard cabs were always a part of the adventure. It was 1987 when I was invited to a private beach house on the East Cape just a few hundred yards from Spa Buena Vista (now known as Buena Vista Beach Resort). It was then I found a charm the East Cape had, and still has, like no place else I have ever been. On this trip the thought entered my mind that maybe this is where I would want to live when I grew up.

In 1990 a 1/3rd interest came available in the little one bedroom beach house where I had first stayed on the East Cape. With no hesitation I snapped it up and started making preparations to move to Buena Vista full time. I closed my real estate firm killing the goose that laid the golden egg, packed all my worldly belongings and in May of 91 was on my way to Mexico.

It is obvious by the growth I've seen that many others have been attracted to the area by the same charm I found. Several milestones have contributed to the growth. In the early days this place was more or less a fish camp where manly men came to fish.

Construction of the Los Cabos international airport (SJD) provided easier access to the area and was the first big change. In 1993 Telmex installed a phone system on the East Cape and we were able to have our first home phone. Prior to that there was only one phone in the whole town. There was a woman operating the phone we called the phone nazi. If you ever saw Sinfelds Soup Nazi you will get the idea. Anyhow, phones provided instant communication which provided more comfort and security that attracted family visits. Then came cell phones. The installation of DSL which provided high speed internet changed the entire game.

Step by step Los Cabos has grown and the population has exploded. With it all the East Cape still has a magnetic charm and is still a magical place.

I'm the one on the right

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Pumped up
I want to start this post by wishing all my friends a happy and prosperous new year.

Our weather has been very typical for this time of year. The north wind blows pretty hard 6 days out of seven making wind sailors happy. It hasn't made conditions very nice for fishermen. Morning temperatures have dropped to the low sixties and water temp is down to around 70 degrees.

We have been hard at Jen Wren maintenance but I have gotten fishing reports that the bite is outstanding on the odd day when boats can get out. Dorado, marlin and sailfish are all in the mix off La Ribera. I spoke with one skipper that landed 4 wahoo a couple days ago. Also early mornings walking the beach I'm watching sierra mackerel busting large schools of bait. Pounding surf just hasn't allowed tin boaters to get out after them.

For the last month and a half my crew has been working hard 6 days a week on winter maintenance. I'm hoping to have all of our projects on the boats completed by the end of February. Friends have asked how in the world could you spend so much time completing this work?

I started looking at all the pumps that need to be checked on the boats and was amazed. Just on Jen Wren III each motor has a fresh water cooling pump, raw water cooling pump, diesel lift pump and diesel fuel pump. Times that by 3 (including the 110Volt generator motor) adds up to 12 pumps. Then there is 3 bilge pumps, a salt water wash-down pump, freshwater wash-down pump, A/C raw water pump, fresh water maker pump, macerator pump, toilet vacuum pump, head drain pump, auto pilot hydraulic pump, helm pump, two fish storage macerator pumps, 3 bait pumps and an engine oil changing system pump.

Adding it up this one boat has a mind blowing 30 different pumps. I know it is not a matter of if each pump will fail it is a matter of when. Some are more critical than others for us to stay in operation but in my mind every one is important. That is just the pumps on one boat.

On the motors valves must be calibrated, heat exchangers and after coolers cleaned, belts, hoses, alternators and anti-freeze all checked and replaced as needed. Transmission oil and filters, cutlass bearings, rudder bearings and strut bearings all must be checked. Gremlins show up in the weirdest places and now is the time to find them.

Both cruisers are getting complete hull restoration and Awl Grip paint this winter. This spring they will look like brand new boats. Jen Wren is getting a new auto pilot and depth sounder. Jen Wren III is getting a whole new Simrad electronics package that includes 2 touch screen combination plotters, auto pilot, broad band 4G radar, sounder and satellite weather module.

I haven't even mentioned the work that goes into maintaining our fishing equipment.

Every rod is inspected tip to butt. A little chip in the finish is like a cancer if not repaired. Every roller guide is disassembled to check the bearings and reel seats are lubricated. At the start of our season every rod will look like new and be ready for battle.

This is the first year I decided to let Accurate do all of our reel maintenance. There is just not enough hours in the day for me to do it all. Accurate has an incredible system. Their technicians go through a check list with each reel and I receive a full report that includes any bearings or parts that were replaced. It is interesting that all this info goes in their data base. If they find a certain model reel continually wearing out the same part R&D will figure out why. That is just one of their ingredients to producing the best reels on our planet.

Yes, we have lots to do. One by one projects are getting checked off our list as we prepare for spring.

Inventorying spare pumps we carry on Jen Wren III

Hull restoration on Jen Wren came out awesome. We just put new lettering on the stern and the crew is starting to check the diesel motors

Love my morning walks. We found these little guys a couple days ago.

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It's all about opportunity
Up until a couple of years ago I never made an effort to take photos while fishing. It was just such a bother when the bite was on. Wet hands, blood on the deck and sensitive camera equipment seemed like a sure recipe for disaster. Then I had the good fortune to spend quite a bit of fishing time with a couple of different friends who are excellent photographers. The result of their work is eye stopping. It was Gary Graham and Jack Nilsen's encouragement and good advice that inspired me to give it a go.

It is interesting how both have completely different styles. Graham is very calculated, precise and is alway analyzing the situation. He sets up most of his shots making the skipper move the boat until the light is right, getting the anglers set and also adjusting the settings on his camera to capture the moment best. Nilsen is the exact opposite. He draws his camera like a six shooter and blasts away. Light, blood, guts, smiles who cares? He is not going to bother the skipper or the anglers. His camera settings are always on auto. The incredible thing is at the end of the day they both walk away with some really good stuff.

My eyes glazed over when I started shopping for my first SLR digital camera. There is so many choices and some of the equipment is so expensive I would have to hock one of my boats first. Coming around from sticker shock with the advice of my buddies I settled on a moderately priced Nikon D5000. I spent some time studying the manual and fidgeting with buttons getting familiar with my new equipment and I was ready to go.

My first few days fishing and trying to shoot photos was an education. The camera never seemed to be in the right place or on the right settings. I would be in the bridge when a marlin or dorado we hooked would leap by and give great opportunity but my camera was in the salon. I'd move the camera to the bridge and find myself in the cockpit without it. The first couple of months I got some good shots but missed way too many outstanding opportunities.

Over the last couple of years I have learned a great deal. One thing I had to come to terms with was that skippering the boat or working the deck many of the best opportunities for great images will be missed because they come and go in the blink of an eye. Now I have 2 cameras. One stays in the bridge with a long telephoto lens (55-300). The other has a close up wide angle lens(18-200) and stays in the salon.

With all we have going on while fishing I have adopted Accurate Jack's style. Most of the time we just can't take the time to get set up so I just keep my cameras on auto, having them on rapid fire. Point and blast away has worked for me. During edit most of my photos end up on the office floor but what the heck, with digital photography it doesn't cost any more to keep grabbing frames.

Many people have asked about my cameras, lenses and settings. It is all moderately priced, as camera equipment goes. Both cameras are set on rapid fire and on auto sports mode with a fast shutter speed to stop the action. Once in a while shooting anglers with their prize catch close up I will switch to the auto portrait setting which slows shutter speed and gives greater depth of field.

Reviewing what the camera has captured day after day with my crew has been huge. We have figured out what works and are all on the same page. Just like when a marlin shows in our pattern everyone knows what to do. Now working together we can get a scene set up in seconds with the light right, the mess cleaned up and our angler in position without gaffs, rods or other obstacles in the way of shooting a great image. In moments we capture what we want, lines are back in the water and we are after em.

As it goes I still miss many more opportunities for that great moment than are captured. The fish never listen when I say "do that again!" Nope, the moment has been lost and it is a matter of waiting for another. The shear amount of opportunities that are presented spending so many days on the water is the key.

Wishing all my friends and family the best holiday season ever.

Posted are a few of my favorites of 2012.

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Last one standing

Last week Hotel Rancho Leonero closed up until March. Buena Vista Beach Resort followed suit and also shut the doors. They do plan on opening briefly for the holiday. The last one standing so to speak is the Van Wormer Resorts Palmas de Cortez and Playa del Sol. They are the only full service resorts on the East Cape that intend on staying open through the entire winter.

Water in the Sea of Cortez has remained warm and sources tell me the marlin bite off La Ribera has been very good. With little traffic I'm finding it hard to get good info on fishing action. I do know Tin boaters fishing near shore and beach fishermen have not had much action.

I was invited to Puerta Vallarta this week to fish for giant yellowfin tuna on my buddies boat the "Great White". This is supposed to be their high tourist season but it looked like deadsville to me. The resort operators, taxi drivers and fishing operators I spoke with were not very optimistic about business picking up.

As for the fishing from what I saw and experienced Vallarta is truly "Cow Town". The down side is the fishing grounds for the monster yellowfin are more than 100 miles from marinas. This makes logistics difficult and trips expensive for the average fisherman. Because of the distance we were only able to get one full days fishing while 2 1/2 days at sea but it was very fruitful. We landed three 200 pound class tuna and broke one off. Our average fight time on these monsters was 30 minutes a fish. I tribute that not only to experienced fishermen but also the great tackle and all Accurate reels the Great White is equipped with. We also landed a nice dorado and released a sailfish.

Dave Helmers with a dandy

Accurate Jack with Great white owner Dave "Fendo" Fender

"Let's Talk Hookup" radio host Pete Gray straps on the harness

What's wrong with this picture of Pete's fish?

Whoa! The bottom sickle is missing. Looks like as a young fish it must have been shark attacked. It is amazing how the injury heeled up. It didn't keep the fish from becoming a big mama either

This is a rare shot of Mr. "the rail is your friend" Jack using a harness

Love the Accurate's

It is sashimi time!

Pedro, Fendo, Jacurate and myself enjoying our experience at Cow Town.

Guess I'm not in Kansas? Weird for me to see the sunset over the ocean. I'm used to the sunrise over the Sea of Cortez each morning.

We scooped this little guy out under the night lights. At the time I thought it was a juvenile billfish but now having time to look at the photo believe it must have been a ballyhoo.

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Born in the USA

East Cape sea temps remain above 80 degrees which is much warmer than normal for late November. I am a bit surprised by this especially since north winds showed up early. Normally when the north wind shows the water temperature plummets. With the waters in the Sea of Cortez staying warm so has the air. It has been down right balmy.

It is also a bit unusual that sailfish and blue marlin are still on the menu for those braving the weather off shore. Years ago I did release a blue marlin on December 12th but it certainly is not the norm. Striped marlin take residency year round but the blues and sails will migrate on to warmer waters when it cools here. Near shore on calm days tin boaters are catching sierra mackerel and Mexican lookdown fish are keeping beach fisherman busy.

The last fishing day of 2013 for the Jen Wren boats was Wednesday. Catching was good but sea conditions were rough. It is the time for kite boarders and wind surfers. Now both boats are in dry dock for the long and tedious job of winter maintenance. I will touch more on this at another time.

With Thanksgiving upon us I am reminded "you can take the man out of the country but you can't take the country out of the man". This is a US holiday as is the 4th of July, Memorial Day, President's Day and Columbus Day. These holidays are not celebrated in Mexico. After 21 years of living abroad I still have to remind myself when around my Mexican friends and employees that these are gringo holidays. To complicate the matter I have become a Mexican citizen and celebrate the Mexican holidays as well.

As ironic as it is on July 4th, 2005 my wife Jennifer and I were sworn in as Mexican citizens. Many ask if we had to give up our US citizenship. The answer is no. We now hold dual citizenship and carry 2 passports. Giving up US Citizenship is something we would never do and I did a great deal of investigation before applying. People at the American consulate assured me it was not that easy to renounce US citizenship. A person can give up their US passport and present documentation but it will not be recognized by the US without a personal appearance in front of authorities.

I think that most folks visiting Baja see Mexico as the wild frontier. Many have no idea how much governmental structure Mexico actually has. The country has 31 states and a Federal district. The whole set up is very similar to the US with a congress and senate. There is Federal, state and municipal governing same as the US. Hacienda is the equivalent of the IRS. IMSS is the equivalent of social security but with more of a medical plan similar to what Obama wants to implement.

Our property taxes and water bill is collected by the municipality while Hacienda and IMSS are federal. Our electricity is supplied by a federal commission and phone service is private. All the coastline and oil and mineral rights belongs to the feds.

It is fascinating to me how the perception of the Mexican government is so different than the US and how similar it truly is.

Recently the feds decided most of their holidays would be observed on Monday. The local labor force is really happy with that one as now they take the day of the holiday and Monday as well. I don't believe that was the intent of the government? Labor laws state an employee is entitled to triple time for working holidays.

I'm not sure how I got off on this topic but will close by saying my favorite Mexican holiday is Saint Lunas. It falls on every Monday. Good Mexicans get drunk on the weekend after payday and are so hung over they can't make it to work on Monday. Hence, Saint Lunas. I do my best to be a good Mexican and observe the holiday.

Photos from our last trip of 2013

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