357# Yellowfin!

[chumslicker27]

Holy CHIT!
Nice fish majes...

[SeaBiscuit]

Jumbo toad! Thanks for posting it captain Fred!
SeaBiscuit

[Captain Fred Archer]

clt_Capt,

Jalepenos AND wasabi??? Good goshamighty, man, that's a new definition of "fire in the hole", or a bit later, "I fell into a burnin' ring of fire"...bound to be sung from the bathroom!

Yes, that's one helluva yellowfin. And it was caught just about directly in between where the last two all-tackle wahoo, at 152 and now 183# were caught. All fish within a few miles of the beach.

I probably write about it too much, but that's because I want fellow fishermen to know just how incredible a fishing venue it truly is. Sure, there are lot's of 5 Star resorts and some humbler places to stay and Cabo has some of the wildest nightlife and honky tonks on the planet, but I don't care about cities and honky tonks and such. It is blue water fishing that I love and Cabo and environs are among the most easily accessible, least expensive and best places to do that.

And to me one of the best aspects of all down there is the wide diversity of fish that are available. That includes some species that you hear nothing or little about. I'm mindful of the snook and bonefish up in the La Paz Bay area - with some huge models around Cabo too - African pompano in big numbers and sizes, "regular" pompano, again, up to some amazingly big ones, stacked up in the surf in many areas (yum!), the biggest ladyfish that I've ever seen and that are used for Roosterfish that get over 100# bait. (Man, you ought to see a big Rooster with his comb up and out of the water, running down a leaping ladyfish !)

That's just some of the little, inshore stuff. When it comes to the offshore stuff, "off" was often an understatement. As it is in many areas in Hawaii, deep water comes very, very close to land in numerous areas down there. Hell, Cabo Bay itself is many hundreds of fathoms deep!

And you have a choice down there. You can do what is traditional in some areas, especially on the west coast, and run tackle that's the right size for the fish that you are after and/or for the average size fish that you usually get. This is a guartanteed recipe for a big fish disaster sooner or later in those waters - what I call "What the hell was that fish?!" in my books. Or you can run the kind of gear that will either be right for the local monsters, or at least big enough to have a good chance of catching them.

Me, I lived by the "be ready for the biggest" rule. That meant 130's in the late summer and Fall months, when the big blue and black girls were in town. The rest of the year I ran 50W's spooled with 80# Dacron and short topshots of 130 fluorescent line. Illegal for world records, yes, but we didn't care about them most of the time and if we had passengers who did, we had the right gear for it and could easily switch over to all IGFA legal stuff. That never applied to marlin on my boat, as we released all of them, small, big, or humongous.

I never had a big fish of any kind spool or otherwise destroy my gear during "little fish" time. Close, a time or two, but my Accurate 50W's and of course a boat with engines for backing down or running hooked fish (the best part of the fighting game for me) helped prevent that sort of thing. After the early years I wised up and started bait and switch trolling with teaser bars and as I have written here many times, I never looked back except for when we were fishing deep or high speed trolling.

Among the many other benefits of B&S fishing was the fact that the cockpit could be stocked and stacked with the right sized gear for whatever showed up in the teasers and we chose to pitch to. That went all of the way up to at least an 80 and during the big fish months, of course a 130.

The plain truth down there - and in many other venues, is that fishing with armed lures, even small ones, can result in encounters of the tackle smashing and reel spooling kind. People did not pay us good money for that sort of stuff and I personally have always considered a big fish that came in and stomped on my angler and the gear as a personal and professional insult that I avoided like the plague! It's a helluva lot more fun watching fish come in and go for the teasers, even if they are a species you have enough of that day, or that maybe is too small or whatever, than it is hooking them and having to wade through all of them to try to get at a big one...at least as far as I'm concerned.

I much prefer, "Right teaser! Right teaser! BEEG atun (tuna)! Pitch the 80, pitch the 80! Holy cow, hooka, hooka, hooka!"

I'm telling you what, folks...it's like eating popcorn - once you start, you just can't stop, especially in a wonderland like Cabo and environs!

Here's another example of a big, 300 plus, Cabo tuna that hit a little bar. This one was mouth-hooked on a current break in deep water (uh, oh ) on a 50W with 50 on it. Wound up being a three hour fish..."Pitch the 80!" And here's that 183# wahoo that hit a little lure too.

Finally, do not expect to find the average charterboat or panga practicing bait and switch in Mexico, or many other venues. Only a handful of the very best, and thus, higher priced boats play this game.

As always, you get what you pay for and I'd sure as hell be paying for a top gun so I could be pitching and catching those fishies and hurtin' the big uns, instead of the other way around!

Catch 'em up, however you choose to.

[SharkJP]

um...Wow just doesnt seem to do it hu?

[rabcoman]

Nice fish guys

[DH 111]

I will be in cabo next week, and i spoke to the captain that i booked a charter with. He said they a couple tuna yesterday on a fun trip. One went 180lbs. I am sooo pumped. New camera is getting delivered soon and i will post a ton of pictures. The billfish can turn on any day now once the water cools down in so cal.

[Captain Fred Archer]

DH,

Yes, there are some big tunas popping down there lately. As you have probably heard, the striped marlin fishing has dropped off some because of warm water. However, if you're fishing with one of the top guys, he will probably find them for you and that will probably be up the Pacific side, as opposed to the Sea of Cortez. Even "fair" marlin fishing in Cabo can be a real mind bender for those not used to it.

You are going to be fishing around a full moon phase, so be sure to devote some time to wahoo fishing. The closer to the full, the slower the other fishing is, but wahoo bite best on the full down there. I'd try to fish the latter part of the week for marlin, tuna, and so on if I could.

Good luck!

[DH 111]

DH,

Yes, there are some big tunas popping down there lately. As you have probably heard, the striped marlin fishing has dropped off some because of warm water. However, if you're fishing with one of the top guys, he will probably find them for you and that will probably be up the Pacific side, as opposed to the Sea of Cortez. Even "fair" marlin fishing in Cabo can be a real mind bender for those not used to it.

You are going to be fishing around a full moon phase, so be sure to devote some time to wahoo fishing. The closer to the full, the slower the other fishing is, but wahoo bite best on the full down there. I'd try to fish the latter part of the week for marlin, tuna, and so on if I could.

Good luck!

Yes i have heard and i am fishing on the 8th. I am fishing with Renegade Mike. I have spoken to him a couple of times on the phone and we spoke of the fishing i want to do. We are going full bore for the pointy ones. So we will see what happens. I am staying at the bonita rose resort. Maybe i will check sportfisherman.com from my laptop while i am in cabo and you can point us in the right direction....

[Wireman]

I imagine that panga got towed quite a distance!

Nantucket sleigh ride baby!

[southport05]

Words can't do that slob justice!!! And Capt Archer, I couldn't agree more. I've been lucky enough to have gone to Cabo the last two years for fishing. It is AMAZING!!

It must have been awesome for you, all those years fishing there before the secret got out and the build-up began. I can only imagine!!

I hope to keep going and keep experiencing different fisheries on each trip. I love it down there! And as I'm young and single, the excellent nightlife doesn't hurt!