[East Cape - Old patterns]

East Cape weather continues to be unbelievably beautiful.  Seas are calm and water temps remain at 84-85 degrees.  Even though conditions continue to look right the bite has become a little scratchy.  Finding fish has not been hard but getting them to go has.

A volume of yellowfin has been breezing through on inshore high spots and will chow down on anglers chum.  The problem is they are line shy and want nothing to do with bait that has a hook in it.  Wahoo have been playing hardball as well.  Mostly short bites are frustrating anglers.  For some reason it has been the same dance with billfish.  The finicky fish come in the spread for a quick look and sometimes take a quick whack at a lure but hook sets have been below a 50% ratio.

For many years the first ten days of November brought picture perfect weather and was one of my favorite times.  The last few years north winds have arrived in October and temperatures plummeted. It seemed early winter was the new norm.  This year our old patterns have returned. November is knocking on the door and our forecast is for more great weather.

Next week the Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot tournament based in Cabo San Lucas will take place.  It is the largest attended tournament in Baja and all of our boats are entered.  WON headed up by Pat Mc Donald has always done an outstanding job with this event with the theme "fish hard, party harder".  Our whole crew is fired up with anticipation, ready to do some damage and weigh a cow.  It will be a great way to end our season.

Polo on the wire

Never over till it is over, this dorado came unbuttoned just when we were ready to stick 'em.

Got this one to stick

The little Accurate Valiant stands up

Nice mess of fish

Landed this super cow in June.  Now we are looking for a repeat performance

When we find the right fish it will be on the right gear. 

Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
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[East Cape - Hit and miss]

Entering August we are coming into what is considered the height  of huricaine season.  Six named storms have passed heading West in the Pacific but our weather has been extremely pleasant.  Calm seas and excellent fishing conditions with 83 to 86 degree water temps.  Daytime humidity has made it a little sticky but evenings have been comfortable.

Marlin continue to be on the rampage.  Most of the fleet are having six to eight events a day releasing two to six fish.  Getting the hook set has been difficult in many cases because the marlin attack with such aggression whacking at baits and missing.

Other game fish have been hit and miss.  Off shore schools of porpoise have not been hard to find but most are not holding tuna.  This week we had a good tuna bite just a few hundred feet off the beach in front of our house in 50 to 100 feet of water.  Before the fleet got on to it we could catch a quick limit but now traffic has made the fish very finicky. Just south of Punta Arena light house at Rincon a few tuna have popped up but it also has been hit and miss with more skipjack than tuna in the mix.

Trophy sized roosterfish have made many anglers day but again it has been a hit and miss proposition.  One day they will go good and the next be absent.  Dorado, anglers are asking but it's not worth talking about.

The East Cape Bisbee starts tomorrow.  This should be an intersting tournament with the billfish bite we are experiencing.  There will be a lot of blue marlin caught.  The trick will be weeding out the shorts and finding one over 300 pounds.

Below are images we captured this week.

Entering August we are coming into what is considered the height  of huricaine season.  Six named storms have passed heading West in the Pacific but our weather has been extremely pleasant.  Calm seas and excellent fishing conditions with 83 to 86 degree water temps.  Daytime humidity has made it a little sticky but evenings have been comfortable.

Marlin continue to be on the rampage.  Most of the fleet are having six to eight events a day releasing two to six fish.  Getting the hook set has been difficult in many cases because the marlin attack with such aggression whacking at baits and missing.

Other game fish have been hit and miss.  Off shore schools of porpoise have not been hard to find but most are not holding tuna.  This week we had a good tuna bite just a few hundred feet off the beach in front of our house in 50 to 100 feet of water.  Before the fleet got on to it we could catch a quick limit but now traffic has made the fish very finicky. Just south of Punta Arena light house at Rincon a few tuna have popped up but it also has been hit and miss with more skipjack than tuna in the mix.

Trophy sized roosterfish have made many anglers day but again it has been a hit and miss proposition.  One day they will go good and the next be absent.  Dorado, anglers are asking but it's not worth talking about.

The East Cape Bisbee starts tomorrow.  This should be an intersting tournament with the billfish bite we are experiencing.  There will be a lot of blue marlin caught.  The trick will be weeding out the shorts and finding one over 300 pounds.

Below are images we captured this week.

 

Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
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[Shades of blue]

Billfish have been the name of the game this week.  Boats targeting marlin have good action and  averaging 2 to 3 fish a day.  Most have been stripers but more blue marlin are in the count everyday.  Fishing yellowfin tuna has been a tough proposition.  A few of the larger 100 to 200 models have been brought to the scale which has gotten everyones attention but most of the anglers with tuna fever are not having success.  A few wahoo have been picked off but the solid bite we enjoyed for the last 2 months has tapered off.

The bite down south dried up so there are not many footballs.  Tuna are on porpoise schools 20 to 30 miles off shore from north of Punta Pescadero spreading south to below Los Frailes.  It has not been hard to find porpoise but only about one out of ten schools are holding tuna.  Then when the right one is found the fish are very spooky.  Kite fishing has been deadly when conditions are right but there has been little wind and the porpoise changing direction and speed too much to make a good bait presentation.

Marlin have been scattered everywhere but the best bet has been about 15 off shore on a sea temp break that has been there for a few weeks.  Today the Sea of Cortez was very grumpy with small craft advisories in the afternoon and we still managed a blue marlin just 3 1/2 miles from our mooring.  Also a broadbill or two are still being sighted everyday.

So, the other day I was talking about how spectacular blue marlin are. An angler asked how do you know when you have a blue on the line versus a striper or sailfish?   Here is a quick photo illustration. Some of these photos are not my best work but they were all captured this week.

THAT'S a blue marlin

Striped marlin

Blue

Stripy

Blue

Sailfish

Getting the idea?

Sail

Blue

Nice striper

Today's blue

Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
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[The shine is off the dime]

The shine is off the dime 
For more than 20 years every winter we have taken a camping trip to our favorite spot in Magdalena Bay.  During the winter north winds are relentless on the East Cape where we live making conditions unfavorable for fishing.  Mag offers miles of mangroves where the water is calm and the bite has always been off the hook.  Our trip has always been planned on an extreme tide because clamming for chocolate clams when the tide is out has been very fruitful.  Another bonus to our almost secret spot aside from being able to pull our rigs right to the waters edge is a primitive commercial shrimp camp.  Pangeros drag their nets all night and we have always been able to load up on jumbo shrimp at a not so jumbo price.

This year's trip started as always.  After a few days of preparation and packing we departed Buena Vista and headed north through La Paz toward Ciudad Constitution.  Arriving at our turn off Hwy 1 we headed down the 20 miles of washboard dirt road.  This year the road wasn't as bad as some years but we have seen it a lot better.  I always watch my odometer with anticipation waiting for it to be over.  Along the way I'm always concerned another camper will be in our spot.  Amazingly enough we have never had any company other than our group and this year was no exception.

Upon arrival the place looked the same as always and we proceeded to set up camp.  My buddy John helped me get our inflatable off my trailer and I helped him with his aluminum boat so we could go fishing at first light while the tide was up.

Mag has always been a very special place.  Spectacular sunsets, bird life, sea life sights, listening to the coyotes and just sitting around our camp fire can be mesmerizing.

In the evening and again in the morning John and I (in fun) were razzing each other about where we would fish and who would do the best.  The joke is that fishing has always been so good it hasn't made a difference where we went the bite was always WFO for spotted bay bass and grouper with a few halibut in the mix.  Four inch rubber twin tails has been our bait of choice but I think a hot dog would work.

I caught John not paying attention and was able to slip a banana in his boat and off we went.  Jen and I found fishing tougher than ever before but finally found a spot where we were able to bag several grouper.  Returning to camp we found that John and Lorraine were not as fortunate and found nothing but tough fishing.  We laughed that it must have been the hex of the banana and I cleaned our catch and got ready to go clamming.

I have always tried to bargain with the shrimpers telling them for a good price I would buy more.  Their reply has always been how many hundreds of pounds do you want?  This was the first time we weren't able to buy jumbo shrimp.   It was explained that all they were getting were mediums.  I hate to be a snob but cleaning and dealing with small shrimp is a major pain after being spoiled by the grande model.

Clamming was as easy as always.  When the tide is out we just walk on the sand and wait for a clam to squirt and then dig it up.  It doesn't take long to fill a 5 gallon pail and we have all we need.  There is nothing like fresh clams and we prepare them every way imaginable.  It was a several day feast of clams along with fresh fish but the jumbos were missing.

The following morning preparing to fish I noticed the fuel tank was missing from my boat.  I told Jen not to say anything figuring John was getting back at me for the banana trick.  My plan was to mix a little oil in a fuel can and head out like nothing happened.  I was not paying attention going about my business when things started to go south.  Jen returned reporting the fuel tank from John's boat was also missing along with his tackle box and a few other items.

Now the shine was off the dime.  After 20 some years of never having a concern our camp was infiltrated in the middle of the night and some of our personal property was taken.  It was nothing of great value but the principle that it happened kind of put a crimp on our vacation.  Some reading this will bad mouth Mexico but I think it is just a sign of the times and it could and does happen everywhere.  I still feel much safer here than in most places and will return to our hideaway to see if the jumbos have returned and the fishing has improved.

 
Nothing like camping at the waters edge

 
Chocolate clams were abundant

 
Yum, yum

 
Jen managed to sneak out a couple of flatties

 
Not this year

 
Always prolific bird life

 
You've got mail!  What a guy will do to get a signal.  That is my cell phone in a plastic bag on the end of the fishing rod.  The extra altitude is just what it took.

 
Some guys just don't listen.  I told him the bite was better on high tide

 
High tide just after sunrise

 
Sunsets like this will keep me coming back

Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing

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[East Cape - Glad I don't wear a toup]

East Cape - Glad I don't wear a toup 

Typically on the East Cape most of the sportfishing operations close up shop for the winter or move boats to Cabo San Lucas.  A couple resorts might leave a boat or 2 in the water for the die hard with high expectations but for the most part strong north winds make conditions almost unfishable 5 or 6 days of the week.  Game fish are here but brutal conditions make the wise take the drive south to wet a line.

 

It is also a time when temperatures drop.  There have been winters we have burned more than a cord of wood in our fire place trying to stay comfortable.  The last 2 years winter never arrived.  The Sea of Cortez stayed calm the majority of days and we lit up the chimney very few nights.  I still have fire wood in our bodega gathered 2 years ago.

 

Air temperatures have not plummeted this year as they normally do.  I believe it is because sea temp has stayed warmer than normal. But the worm has turned and since early November anglers have had to hang on to their hats or lose them in the wind.  After a 2 year absence, north winds are back, the surf is pounding and I'm glad I don't wear a toupee.  Current East Cape weather can be viewed on our live webcams at: http://www.teamjenwren.com/east-cape-webcam.html

 

2015 will go down as a very odd fishing year.  Springtime brought excellent striped marlin fishing with a few wahoo and dorado in the mix.  As we headed for summer the striped marlin stayed strong, wahoo made a better showing but dorado evaporated.  Yellowfin tuna were late in arriving but when they did it looked like we were off to the races pleasing anglers and filling coolers.

 

As summer continued blue marlin arrived in numbers, wahoo continued to please anglers but the tuna bite got tough.  Excellent striped and blue marlin fishing along with sailfish continued through the entire season but dorado completely disappeared and boats traveled unreasonable distances in search of tuna.

 

We had an unprecedented showing of amberjack, yellowtail and red snapper on the La Ribera bank.  The bite lasted for more than 2 months and was an outstanding alternative to chasing tuna that sometimes were not there.

 

Now our boats are in dry dock .  We have our heads below decks doing required maintenance in preparation for 2016.  Turbochargers, heat exchangers, after coolers and more all need to be serviced and in top shape for the coming season.  All of our boats are getting new upholstery and we will be adding a few other amenities to make it even nicer for our anglers.

 

Thanks to all that helped make 2015 our best year ever.  Team Jen Wren would like to wish everyone a joyful holiday season, and a healthy and prosperous 2016!

 

 

Wrapping up the year. Our company holiday posada.

 

Tuna showed a little late this season

 

Here was a dandy

 

Dorado were absent most of the year

 

Wahoo provide steady action

 

Sailfish arrived early

 

Mixed bag off La Ribera

 

Yes, it was an unusual year.  Many days we landed amberjack, yellowtail, red snapper, football tuna and striped marlin in the same spot drifting baits.

 

George Gavallos with his father and friends had a hayday

 

Excellent rooster fishing all summer

 

Mark Rayor

teamjenwren.com

markrayor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing

 

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[Jen Wren over and out!]

Jen Wren over and out! 
It has been several weeks since I have been able to post a report and November has been a wild ride.

At the beginning of the month we took our boats to Cabo San Lucas to compete in the Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot tournament.  In my estimation this tournament is the most fun of the many we fish during our season.  This year was no exception even though the tuna fishing was a bit tougher than normal the event was a great time.

Finding tuna was not really difficult nor was getting them to go.  It was the jumbo variety that we were looking for that was absent.   210 pound fish took honors and we just couldn't make the grade.  

Jen Wren III did win the "Show us your Costa's" contest.  Costa judges said it was a slam dunk win when the team switched around the Costa letters to spell tacos.

The following the tournament we spent the entire day re-provisioning Vaquera and departed for Mag Bay that evening.  Traveling all night we found ourselves about 50 miles below the bay in the morning.  Conditions looked good so we plunked in some lures, broke out our gyro binoculars and started looking.

It was surprising to not sight any sea life.  After a couple of hours we picked up the lures and ran at speed.  Upon reaching Pinnical Rock we found a large school of common dolphin with frigate birds above in a frenzy.  Now it started to look like the Mag I know.  This spot turned out to be straight skipjack which was a good tune up and loads of fun for the fly fisherman we had aboard.

We tucked into the bay at Belchers for the evening and got a much needed good night of sleep.  In the morning just a couple miles outside the Entrada we found some shark buoys that yielded a couple of dorado.  The rest of the day was surprisingly slow.  There was no other traffic on the water and nobody to compare notes with or get reports from.

The following day brought small craft advisories.  We decided fishing in the mangroves would be best to avoid the harsh weather.  It was a good move as the mangroves were very fruitful with spotted bay bass, corvina and other inshore species. That evening we arranged for our guests George and Lori to be picked up by panga for departure.  Shortly after, Aaron and Connie who would be with us the next 5 days arrived.  The wind persisted so it was another day in the mangroves with our new guests.

The following day all was calm and it was my hope that the 2 day blow would shake things up and make gamefish hungry.   We left the Entrada at day break and headed to the north.  It was my plan to work that direction and spend the night in Santa Maria.  The weather was beautiful but the morning frustrating only producing 1 dorado.  We sighted many solo frigates but couldn't find the working bird life needed.  Our VHF was silent all morning and finally about 11:30 we could hear some chatter from local fishermen.  It sounded like wahoo and tuna were biting on the Thetis bank so off we went.

The afternoon was action packed. In a short time we landed 2 wahoo and had several short biters.  We also bagged 4 yellowfin tuna and released a striped marlin.  Getting late, we had to head back to Santa Maria.  Now it looked like we had it going on. The following morning we were underway before daybreak on a Bee line back to the Thedis.

What I thought was going to be a bonanza turned into a very slow day. Before my very eyes I watched the Thetis action dry up.  At 2 PM we had 1 small yellowfin in the boat. With disappointment I headed south looking for better action.

That evening while cooking fresh jumbo shrimp and New York's on our barbecue I was thinking what now.  We didn't come all this way for scratch fishing, it is time to roll the dice. It had become painfully obvious I wasn't going to find fish in the spots we had always found the past.

In the morning my thoughts were no guts no glory.  A needed to pull a rabbit out of my hat.  We headed offshore with Diego and I both scouring the horizon with our Gyro binos.  About 25 miles out I pulled the throttles back to troll speed and continued. An hour went by and I was shaking my head in disbelief that there was no sea life.  Then, there they were.  Birds, a huge spot of frigates on the horizon working.  As we approached porpoise could be seen under the birds.  First pass through all 5 troll rods went off and it was cockpit chaos.  I couldn't help but stop and smile.  No other boats to call, no other traffic.  This spot was all ours.  After landing the tuna we couldn't get all the lines back in before bendo.  The bite went on until we finally cried uncle.  Trolling toward the Estrada we found a nice spot of striped marlin and released one. 

Our last scheduled day at 6 in the morning I received a call from Weather Routing.  They provide a service I can't say enough good things about.  The call was to make me aware strong winds and harsh weather were coming our way and advised that we start heading south.  We trolled a couple hours and picked it up and ran around the horn and arrived at the San Jose Marina just after dark.

In the morning we fueled up and headed for home.  Strong north winds had been blowing for days on the East Cape but we lucked into a window of calm that allowed us not only smooth sailing but an opportunity to get Jen Wren and Vaquera out of the water.

East Cape water temperature is presently 80 degrees and the north wind has not let up.  There has been very few departures but word from the die hards is there is still a decent marlin bite and a few good grade dorado have shown up.  For us the season is over and our boats are out.

Blue marlin plagued us with hookups while hunting big tuna

And it spells TACOS

Lori's 1st dorado on the fly

Stripes out

Marlin continue to provide the most consistent action in Baja

Found this poor guy wrapped up in line on a buoy.  He was exhausted but swam off when released.

Connie's birthday limit

Plugged with fresh tuna, dorado and wahoo

East Cape winds have been relentless

Season is over and we are out.

Mark Rayor

teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
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[East Cape - Back in 87]

East Cape - Back in 87 
Here we are in the second week of October and the craziness of 2015 continues.  Basically, dorado and tuna have done a no show all season.  We did have a few moments but nothing consistent to hang our hats on.   In the meantime we have experienced an outstanding billfish bite with one of the best seasons for blue marlin in years.  Wahoo have also made a good showing most of the year and help fill some of the void in anglers coolers.  The most unlikely suspects that have been a welcome surprise are amberjack and yellow.  They have been bending rods for a couple months now and putting big smiles on anglers faces.

Our air temperature has dropped and so has the humidity.  In the period of a week it has gone from stifling to very comfortable.  Wind has tried to blow from the north a couple days but is not strong.  Waves can be heard gently lapping on the beach at night which has become a foreign sound because it has been silent for so long.  This season has brought less wind and more rain than I can ever remember.  The landscape from San Jose to Los Barriles is lush green and looks more like the tropical jungle of Costa Rica than the desertscape of Baja.  Sea temps were heading for the low 80's but yesterday I found myself back in 87.

While the East Cape fleet is struggling to catch quality tuna the cows have shown up in Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific.  We are looking forward to competing in Western Outdoor News Tuna Tournament November 5th and 6th.  The event is always a great time and I'm certain this year will be no exception.  The team on Jen Wren III just dropped out because of medical issues which offers a great opportunity for someone wanting to put together a last minute team.

After the WON Tuna tournament Vaquera will be departing for Mag Bay and offers the trip of a lifetime.  Call or email me for more information.

Mark Rayor
teamjenwren.com
markrayor.blogspot.com
www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing
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Off to the races

Discovered mama turtle building a nest in front of our place

Jen Wren III on the loose!  Hard to believe this heavy stainless ring failed.  It was part of our anchoring system.

[East Cape - Recipe for a good trip]

East Cape - Recipe for a good trip

Another week of great weather. We have gotten a lot of rain but little wind. Anglers are getting a little wet but the fish we have been targeting haven't seemed to mind and have been cooperating.

All of our normal suspects, marlin, tuna, dorado, wahoo and roosterfish are here but just haven't been in the mood. It is an unlikely story for September but drifting for bottom fish has been most productive. Amberjack, yellowtail, snapper and white bonita have been bending rods. Most of the action has been in 400 feet of water and good bait has been key.

A few of the bottom fish have been taken on the iron or live caballitos but greenback mackerel and sardineta have been the candy bait. We have been using sabikis to make the bait while fishing. It has been an interesting proposition as the gamefish have been destroying the sibikis attacking the macks while we retrieve them from the bottom.

Anglers arriving with a preconceived notion that they need to catch tuna, wahoo or dorado are mostly being disappointed. The old saying goes "when you have lemons make lemonade". Most visitors want to meet where the locals meet, eat where the locals eat. It has been difficult when we can't get them to listen to local knowledge and fish where the locals fish. It is hard for me to drive over fish where anglers could have a good day to go on a wild goose chase.

My recipe for a good fishing trip is to not arrive with that preconceived notion and demand to go back to the location you got them in the past. Don't listen to the guy in the bar who has had a couple. If you can't trust your crew and their local knowledge of where the action is you could be on the wrong boat.

Check out the East Cape weather in real time on our 2 live webcams:

http://teamjenwren.com/our-webcams.html

Buddies having fun

Team Accurate David Nilsen with 8 year old Clayton

Fathers and sons, check out those smiles

The rain has brought some magnificent sights.

Another nice amberjack ready to hit the deck

Polo on the wire.

Still a few sails around

Vaquera, Gringo's "Fish killer of the week"

Jen Wren III ready to rock and roll.

Mark Rayor

teamjenwren.com

markrayor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing

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[East Cape - What are the odds]

East Cape - What are the odds

Early in the week, Cat 3 hurricane Linda went roaring by in the Pacific at 14 mph. While it wasn't a threat to Baja we did get rain for 2 days straight dumping more than 2 inches. It is odd that we had two Cat 4 hurricanes threaten our coast in May and none of the 17 storms that have passed since that time have caused any concern. The storms have brought substantial rain which is welcomed without harsh wind which obviously is not. Our hillsides are green and livestock is fat and happy.

It is odd than our current surface temperature is cooler in September then it was in August.

It is odd that schools of spotted and spinner dolphin are not holding tuna.

It is odd that the tuna on the La Ribera high spot prefer dead sardines over live ones.

It is odd that fleet boats are catching yellowfin, snapper, yellowtail, amberjack, marlin and sailfish in the same area.

It is odd that we meter nothing in our fish finder but catch all of the above along with greenback mackerel and sadineta on sibikis.

It is odd that the bite for all species is better in the green water near shore than the blue water offshore.

It is odd that the best billfish bite was on the full moon.

Yes, so far 2015 has been a very odd year.

This is not the odd amberjack. The bite is the best we have ever experienced

Say ahhh

Amberjack, yellowtail and tuna on the same drift. I'd call it odd

Nothing odd about this big blue marlin

Found this odd smorgasbord in a tuna's stomach

Striped marlin trying to get away. Poor guy is not aware we use Accurate's

Nice mossback

THIS, is not odd, we are just doing our thing

Odd to have frogs come out of nowhere every time it rains

Mark Rayor

teamjenwren.com

markrayor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing

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[East Cape - Full moon turns 'em on!]

East Cape - Full moon turns 'em on!

After two months of extremely inconsistent fishing East Cape game fish have finally come to the party. For weeks the only shot at tuna has been south of Los Frailes. It is a long boat ride and in many cases has not been fruitful. Now, as the moon has become full the tuna have become aggressive. It is no longer a crap shoot and anglers going the distance are consistently bringing home the bacon with 30 to 40 pound yellowfin. In the same southern area anglers are also finding wahoo and smaller dorado.

Closer to home off the La Ribera high spot greenback mackerel and sardineta have appeared. These are normally cooler water baits and I'm a little surprised to see them in late August. All the same they are welcome and have really turned things around. Limits of smaller grade tuna along with snapper, amberjack, yellowtail and marlin are being taken drifting baits. Just outside the high spot blue marlin, striped marlin and sailfish have been bending rods.

Yesterday, while Jen Wren III took a limit of tuna and a nice amberjack, Vaquera performed the hat trick with 2 blue marlin, one striped marlin, one sailfish, 2 red snapper, one amberjack and to top it off a yellowtail. Yes, the full moon has turned 'em on.

Oh, did I mention our incredibly nice weather? Check it out on our live webcams: http://teamjenwren.com/our-webcams.html

This coming Saturday along with Accurate Jack Nilsen I will be on Pete Gray's Lets Talk Hookup radio show. It will be broadcast live from El Cajon Ford from 7 to 9am Pacific time. If you are in the area please stop by and have a chance to win thousands of dollars in prizes. If you can't make it please listen in: http://www.mighty1090.com

Amberjack

Yellowtail

Snapper

Sailfish

Armando on the wire

Blue marlin

This blue still looks a little green. Armando, a bit nervous.

Armando on the wire again getting a workout with this huge striped marlin

Vaquera, on fire!

Doing the blue marlin dance.

Mark Rayor

teamjenwren.com

markrayor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing

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[East Cape - Wanted!]

East Cape - Wanted!

Just when I thought the weeks of outstanding weather the East Cape has been experiencing couldn't get any better it has. Tropical disturbance Eleven_E passed by in the Pacific early last week pushing up cooler water and lowering humidity. While we didn't receive any harsh weather from the storm overnight sea temps dropped 5 degrees and went from an ugly greenish to beautiful blue.

The drop in temperature perked up our billfish bite which was starting to fade. Some boats have still found it tough but others have had constant action with sailfish, striped and blue marlin. I have seen a few dorado flags this week but word has it they are all dinks. I know El Regalo did bag a nice 40lbs fish.

Yellowfin tuna continue to play hardball. Fleet boats have been traveling 40 miles and more in every direction trying to satisfy anglers with tuna fever. Porpoise schools offshore have been hard to locate and many are not holding tuna. To the south, below Frailes drifting high spots has been the best bet but a slow pick. Some days the fish will bite better than others. At best it is not steady action. Bait of choice has been dead sardines which are sometimes not available We had one group bring 40 pounds of frozen squid. I thought it would be a bonanza but found the tuna to be more finicky than my cat. Most fish have been 30 to 40 pound grade. It has taken light fluorocarbon and small hooks to get bit. That has made long battles and lost fish for anglers without the patience or skill.

WANTED!

Blue marlin release

Sailfish putting on a show

Ben Lazar playing deck hand. He and his buddies found it a little tough but made the most of it.

Squid in the hood. We scooped this out of the water still alive after a sailfish spit it up.

Nice grade tuna

Yo-yoing a diamond jig paid off

Not as bad as it looks. The rain has been welcome and it hasn't been wind related

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Tuna, sailfish, weather and more]

East Cape - Tuna, sailfish, weather and more

I don't think many will argue that this has been a crazy year. Seems like we never had a winter and went from fall straight into spring. In May we experienced two Cat 4 hurricanes and had to cancel a few fishing days because of the nasty weather. Chubascos in May are unheard of around these parts but like I said it has been a crazy year. Since that time there have been another 9 named storms pass by in the Pacific. We have been fortunate that none of that weather has been a threat to Los Cabos. In fact, since May we have had very few windy days and the sea of Cortez has been flat.

Yesterday I was surprised to find myself in 91.7 degree water. The good news is sailfish were abundant. The bad news is the warm water is just the fuel needed to create the perfect storm. I hope the tropical systems just keep heading west but am on high alert at all times because of what I'm seeing out there.

East Cape has developed a reputation of giving anglers constant action. Recently we have had some epic days but it hasn't been consistent. Sailfish are the best bet right now for anglers wanting action. Yellowfin have been on and off, dorado noneexistent and wahoo hard to target. Rooster fishing has also tapered off.

Most anglers are getting off the airplane with tuna madness. It has meant unreasonably long boat rides and only a 40 to 60% chance of success. There has been some quality fish but also a lot of frustration and disappointment.

Posted are photo highlights of the week

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Nothing like a good hurricane]

East Cape - Nothing like a good hurricane

For the last several weeks the Sea of Cortez has been flat calm which has made for very comfortable boat rides and fishing. The difficult thing is the bite has not been red hot. Anglers have been scratching 'em out but it has been a slow pick.

As soon as Hurricane Dolores started to form more than 1,000 miles below the Cape the bite picked up. The storm has never been a threat to Baja although it is going to bring a couple days of wind as it passes in the Pacific.

There is nothing like a good hurricane to turn on the bite. It seems like the approaching low pressure really has an impact. Gamefish act like it is the last supper as a storm approaches.

This week the blue marlin bite has been off the chart. Even when not targeting blues we hung one on a Marauder while fishing wahoo. Sailfish have been plentiful and trophy sized roosterfish have also been abundant.

Nobody has been able to find the larger model tuna with porpoise but limits of footballs have been easy most days for anglers willing to make the 2 hour ride south to the San Luis Bank.

The burning question of the moment is where are the quality dorado? A few smaller fish are being taken but this Saturday is the well attended Dorado Shootout. Seas will still be a bit grumpy from Dolores so it will be interesting to see if anyone can pull a big bull out of their hat. Wish us luck!

All in all it has been a very action packed week.

Blue marlin on the attack!

Hard to troll all day and not hook a blue marlin right now. Even if you are not fishing for them

Sailfish are providing action

When first hooked the blues really put on a show.

Took Jim Durky 12 years of trying to catch his first sailfish

Small reel, small kid, big fish. 12 year old Sam Sullivan landed a blue marlin this week un-assisted

Excellent wahoo fishing

We always promote billfish release. This fish was hooked in the tail and died in battle. To give perspective the boat has a 13 foot beam.

Breakfast of champions, East Cape sunrise.

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Nothing to write home about]

East Cape - Nothing to write home about

East Cape weather remains outstanding. 87 degree sea temps have made the air warm and humid but seas have been very calm. Today we are experiencing a little wind from the north which is very unusual for July.

This week on his birthday local Buena Vista resident Rich Bottini boated an 82 pound wahoo. Another local resident John Torres released 3 stripers to win the East Cape Anglers tournament. Also, a dead whale was found offshore loaded with tuna, dorado and few wahoo. Most of the fish around the whale were micro size but a couple boats managed better quality yo-yoing iron.

Other than that there is not much to write home about. The red hot marlin bite we have been experiencing has slowed although a few blue marlin are still in the mix. Anglers with expectations of filling coolers have been disappointed while others are having the time of their lives enjoying the environment, the sea life and all that Baja has to offer.

Micro tuna, same as a yellowfin but smaller

This one is not quite ready

Striped marlin fishing has slowed

Rick Okuni flying his quadcopter from Jen Wren III

Stay tuned we should have some cool drone shots coming

It has been hard to get the tuna to go

Finally found a few to cooperate

African pompano for dinner

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Ruined]

East Cape - Ruined

East Cape has experienced the longest stretch of gorgeous weather as I can ever remember. Seas have been calm and it appears there is no end in sight.

Fishing has been red hot for anglers targeting billfish or roosters. Striped marlin, blue marlin and sailfish are all mixed in the same areas and on the rampage. Most of the fleet boats have been releasing between 3 and 6 fish a day having many more events. We had more than a half dozen anglers land their first billfish this week. They are ruined if they think it will always be this easy.

Roosterfish have also been cooperative. It has not been big numbers but it has been trophy sized fish. Anglers putting in the time are being rewarded.

For those looking to fill coolers it has been frustrating. Porpoise schools have been easy to find but tuna just don't want to bite. Dorado have also been absent. Looking at all the dorado flags flying every afternoon one might think it is a good bite. The truth be known the flying flags are larger than most of the fish being taken.

I want to share an interesting experience a friend told me about. He was fishing a local billfish tournament when it happen. David I hope I got this right and that you don't mind that I am sharing it.

David's boat doesn't have a place to troll a center rod but does have a rod storage rack in the center. With that he decided to drag a ballyhoo from that rack with the reel in freespool using a rubber band to hold the line. The idea was that if the rod got bit there will be time to grab it and set the hook. Well, another rod got bit and he was fighting a marlin when he heard this loud crash. Looking around he found the rod rack laying on the deck and the baited rod missing. Now, looking behind the boat the tip of his missing rod could be seen bobbing. As luck would have it the outfit got tangled in another line he had in the water. Not only did he get his rod back the fish that ate the ballyhoo was still on. All the line had paid off the reel because he forgot to put on the clicker and never saw the bite. It was the fifth billfish David landed that day and he won the tournament. Not only did he win, he got his gear back and he won a new Accurate Dauntless 600. I'd say it is time to head for Vegas.

Billfish are the name of the game right now

Little Andres working hard

Wow, big fish for a little kid

8 year old Vern the 5th having the time of his life with Vern the 3rd

Lots of blue marlin in the house

Putting that Accurate to the test

That is a first marlin smile

Trophy sized rooster cruising East Cape beaches

Lots of anglers getting their first billfish experience

Trevor Lucas bagged this beautiful pompano

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Nothing but bills!]

East Cape - Nothing but bills!

It is Easter week and we are experiencing summertime conditions. Most of March has been warm days, calm seas and unseasonalby gorgeous weather. The Sea of Cortez is 75 to 77 degrees, clear, a beautiful blue and teaming with sea life.

Everyday we are sighting manta rays jumping, schools of bottlenose and common dolphin and humpback whales breaching. An early showing of striped marlin has been the main event and for a couple of weeks it was pretty much nothing but billfish. Now, inshore dorado, amberjack and roosterfish are getting in the game.

This morning while getting Jen Wren III unbuttoned to pick up our guests we were surprised by a wahoo in just 20 feet of water. With no bait on board Diego scrambled for a chrome jig. He did get the bite but unfortunately the fish didn't stick. It is just one example that there is never a dull moment while on the Sea of Cortez.

Our bait situation has been a little odd. Typically, this time of year greenback mackerel are plentiful. They are candy bait for our gamefish but have been absent since February. This happens sometimes when there are a lot of bottlenose dolphin around that feast on the mackerel. Also, yesterday we had a striped marlin come unbuttoned and ended up with a squid tentacle on our hook. I'm pretty sure the marlin had eaten the squid and we ended up with a piece of it when the fish came loose. Giant squid = no mackerel. Anyhow, horilitos, caballitos and fresh ballyhoo have been available and getting the job done.

Nothing but bills!

We had a lot of smiling faces this week.

A show you can never get tired of.

Five anglers bagged their first billfish with us this week.

Diego got a lot of practice on the wire.

Late May conditions at Easter.

Our last winter maintenance project

Glad it's done!

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Febrero es loco, Marzo otro poco]

East Cape - Febrero es loco, Marzo otro poco

Gary Graham is not only an accomplished captain and angler but also a renowned sports writer. He has a better pulse on what is happening in Baja then anyone. When Gary speaks I stop and listen.

Yesterday I was on the phone with Gary and he gave me a bit of current recap of current events that he referred to as March madness.

Graham went on to say while most are glued to their TV's clamoring for the latest predictions, brackets and a minutia of player news surrounding College Basketball's annual "March Madness" extravaganza. Baja Sur seems to be offering its own unscheduled version of "March Madness".

Larry Edwards, Cortez Charters, "The marlin were still being mostly uncooperative for the anglers and the crews and the billfish counts remained pretty low this past week".

Pisces Sportfishing , "We had some good catches this week but were plagued with inconsistency. Some days every boat had a marlin then the next they caught nothing as the fish moved around and refused to be tempted by the bait offered."

Captain George Landrum, Fly Hooker Sportfishing, "Until the water cools to a consistent 70 degrees and the Mackerel show up in numbers we are likely to continue to have slow fishing for Striped Marlin. A few boats this week were able to find hungry fish, but most boats saw no sign of them. Most of the ones found were found on the Pacific side in the cooler water. As a good sign of things to come, the water on the Pacific has slowly cooled, and we can see this trend working its way down the coast so hopefully soon the bite will pick up. Meanwhile, the fish that have been found have averaged 110 pounds with a few reported in the 150-180 class, most of them caught on a live bait thrown to a tailing fish."

Did you hear about the Baja Hail!

A surprising hail storm sucker punched us, we didn’t even see it coming. The quickie storm mostly hit north of San Jose Sunday morning bringing us much needed rain but also hail the size of small marbles rained down on the San Jose Viejo, Buenos Aires, San Bernabe, Santa Anita and Costa Dorada barrios.

Some arriving flights were turned around and sent to La Paz where they cooled their heels (tires?) for up to an hour before attempting another landing at San Jose. The Cabo harbor master suspended small boat traffic for a couple of hours too, due to the wind whipped high waves. Strong winds also blew the tarp off the top of the San Jose bull ring. The temporary, (very temporary, it would seem), tarp was stretched over the bull ring for the annual San Jose fiestas.

Meanwhile back on the East Cape.

Rancho Leonero, "As usual for this time of year, the striped marlin bite is wide open! As a bonus, a few sailfish are mixed with the stripers. Perhaps best of all, these billfish are very close to the hotel, right off the La Ribera Bank. For whatever reason, we’re seeing larger-than-normal stripers – from 150- to 200-pounds … the locals call them Cola Anchas, (wide tail in English). They are super abundant and really giving anglers a hard fight in the cooler March water. All Rancho boats are scoring at least one, some boats releasing as many as 6 in one day. Example #1: Ed Wehan from Los Angeles, fishing three days, released 11 striped marlin and 3 sailfish. Example #2: Steve Metzgar and Jim Farrell, visiting from Penn., fished one day and released 6 stripers."

Gary Barnes-Webb continued Leonero's report stating, "Striped Marlin were biting all week with most boats finishing the day with multiple fish. Some anglers baited up 12 fish in a day. All the action was off the La Ribera Bank."

Don't try Cola Ancha on your wife unless you like sleeping on the couch. A couple of days ago gazing out my office window I saw a marlin jumping. When they can be seen from the house I'd say it is time to go fishing.

East Cape water temperature in the Sea of Cortez is 73.5 which is pretty normal for this time. What is unusual is a few sailfish and wahoo in the count. Also, large schools of spotted dolphin feeding on flyers are in the house and many more sea turtles than normal for spring. In my tenure in Baja I have never seen it like this in March.

Every year at this time while in conversation with local Spanish speaking friends, with a smile someone will say "Febrero es loco, Marzo otro poco". While it doesn't really translate literally (February is crazy, March, another little) we all get a laugh and agree, this is a crazy time.

March has brought spectacular sunrises almost everyday

Holy cow! Marlin out my office window.

Cola ancha

Yes, many of the early season stripers have had shoulders.

Spotted dolphin in March. Could we have an early tuna run?

Early for turtle sightings

Jen Wren III in for our 2015 shakedown

Our last winter project ugh! Six years ago everyone including the people at Cabo Yachts thought I had a loose screw building a trailer for our 35 Cabo. Well, I have always thought out of the box and got lucky on this one. The trailer has made it possible for us to keep the boat in our yard during storms and in the winter. Now it is time to knock off the rust and put on a fresh coat of paint. This baby is 45 feet long, 14 feet wide and weights an approximate 5,000 pounds. Prepping to paint has turned into a much bigger job then I anticipated. Once complete I'm going fishing!

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Use it don't abuse it]

East Cape - Use it don't abuse it

East Cape weather has been incredibly comfortable for February. It appears we are going to skip winter and only have 3 seasons this year. We have had some welcomed rain but little wind. Air and sea temperature is warmer than past years and I'm happy to say that my Ugg boots have not seen the light of day. It has been t-shirts, shorts and flip flops right through the season.

It is hard to give a fishing report because there is no traffic on the water. The few anglers that have ventured off shore have done well. Down south at the Iman bank there is a tuna bite. Closer to home yellowtail, dorado and striped marlin have provided action and inshore there are a few roosterfish.

Unlike on the water there has been a lot of traffic in Los Barriles. All of our local merchants are very busy and at Bancomer the line is almost out the door every afternoon. I spoke with the new bank manager who told me they have plans to enlarge the facility and also installing 2 more ATM machines.

Not having much of a report gives me the opportunity to share some of the things we do to maintain and extend the life of our fishing tackle. Tackle that is used and not abused will last for many years.

Okay, so what is abuse? Not thoroughly rinsing all gear that came in contact with salt water is death but just common sense.

Reels should be washed with drags set at high pressure. This stops water from intruding during the shower. The drags should to be backed off while the reel is dried and left with low or little pressure until the next fishing trip. We do this every day with our gear. Special care must be given to every guide and the seat on rods. Not properly cared for rod guides will start to corrode and it is like cancer.

This is an important rule that many anglers don't follow. While underway we remove all of our rods and reels from the rod holders on the gunnels and put them in a location where they will not be sprayed with sea water. This is a simple thing but many anglers overlook it. I have seen guys kind of in a daze looking out on the water while their gear is being pounded by water. I learned the hard way. A steady pounding of saltwater will intrude into even the highest quality reels and they will corrode inside.

At the beginning of each season while assembling gear we smear a liberal amount of Cals grease on the bottom of each reel foot before putting it on a rod. That is a location that always seems to collect salt and the grease will protect the components.

All fishing rods have a protective finish. A little chip in the finish lets the harsh salt environment attack the rod blank and in time will cause it to sun burn and also rot. A quick fix is a little bit of clear fingernail polish but that is no substitute for a proper rod finish material.

At the end of each season reels should be removed from the rods. The mono top shot should be removed so only the braid remains on the reel. This is for good reason and a good practice. The mono topshot holds in the moisture and in time the braid will rot. Braid is expensive and I don't want it to spoil. At the begining of the season the top shot should be changed anyhow so why leave it on the reel all winter? After the reels are completely dry before storing put a couple drops of Corrosion X oil on the handle, clicker and drag lever. If you are kind to your gear it will pay off when you hook the big one.

Next week we leave to exhibit at Fred Hall Long Beach. It is the largest vacation and tackle show in the US and loads of fun. If you are in the area please stop by and say hello. We will be located across the aisle from Accurate fishing products. We have teamed up with AFTCO and Accurate and will be offering some incredible show giveaways.

After Long Beach our Jen Wren boats go back in the water and it will be game on! Posted below are a few of my favorite photos we captured last season.

Fred Hall show Long Beach. Come join the party.

Mark Rayor

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[Mag Bay Chronicles - Who invited her?]

Mag Bay Chronicles - Who invited her?

We just got back from our annual camping trip to Mag Bay. In all my travels world wide I can't recall visiting another place with more sea life or bird life then Mag. It is one of the most spectacular places on our planet.

It has never been hard to find a wide open bite in the mangroves and clamming for chocolate clams has always been easy and very fruitful. We can buy all the fresh shrimp and crab we want from the Mexican fish camp near by and order lobster if we desire.

The place we camp is near the southern end of the bay. It is 20 miles off highway 1 down a horrible washboard road. The reward of taking the beating on the road has always been worth it. This year the road was in exceptionally bad shape and we suffered several challenging breakdowns.

Heading North outside of La Paz it started to rain. In more than 20 years we have never encountered a drop of rain on this trip. In fact it has probably been 20 years since I needed wipers on our motorhome. Flipping the wiper switch the blades swiped the windshield one time and I could here the linkage that drives them fall apart. Now stuck in the rain on the side of the road it took about 45 minutes for me to cobb up a half baked fix so we could continue. It wasn't the best way to start the trip but no harm no foul and we made it the rest of the way to our camp without incident.

We weren't as fortunate on the way out. My coach sputtered and quit after a short time. It turned out to be a clogged fuel filter which made good sense after the shaking we had taken. Almost to the highway after 20 miles of hell I had to change the filter again. Pulling next to John I noticed he had shredded a tire on his trailer. After the repair Rick pulled up next to me and notice my trailer had a broken leaf spring. Now this looked like it could be a real disaster until the last in our caravan Clifford pulled up and just happened to be carrying an extra spring. Now on the highway it looked like smooth sailing but we couldn't catch a break. Clifford had a flat tire on his 5th wheel. It looked like an easy fix until discovering his spare was the wrong bolt pattern.

All is well that ends well. We are back home now and like I said the trip is always worth it. We have learned no matter how we prepare there will always be curve balls. On a high note after having to call a tow truck 2 years in a row Rick was the only one to not suffer a breakdown .... although, he traded his motor home for a tent!

It didn't take Jen long to get in the action with spotted bay bass

Jen has the hot hand and hangs a grouper

Nice halibut! Who invited her? I can't keep up.

Lots of photo ops

Every turn in the mangroves yields new sights

Frigate birds

While Jen smacked the fish I got some cool photos

Rick became best friends with Rafael after calling him 2 years in a row to get towed

No more tow for Rick, what the heck is it?

I don't know about this?

Holy cow, looks pretty comfortable now

John loses a trailer tire to the washboard

Oops

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Breaking Bad]

East Cape - Breaking Bad

Every morning I have been seeing ospreys working for their breakfast. It is an incredible sight watching them fish. The chirp they make communicating with their mate is very distinctive and easy to recognize. These resident ospreys are just one of many pelagic birds that reside on the East Cape.

Angling for the birds (no pun intended) has been much better than for fishermen. There have been reports of a few yellowtail being landed and also an occasional dorado and striped marlin. Only the very dedicated have been rewarded as the bite just hasn't been consistent.

Air temperature has been very comfortable and there has not been the chill in the air we normally experience this time of year. The North winds have been pretty consistent blowing 4 or 5 days a week but it has not had the force we sometimes encounter. In years past strong wind has caused a shore pound that makes it feel like our house is shaking. We have also had a couple days of rain with more forecasted for next week. It almost feels more like SO CA weather than Baja.

I'm a little sad to have more to say about our weather than the fishing but it is just the way it is this time of year.

All of our boat maintenance has been completed and we are locked and loaded waiting for spring when our season starts. In the meantime I am scrounging around looking for projects that need attention. Our 4 wheel loader is an important piece of equipment in our fishing operation. Sitting near the beach all the time it was getting pretty weather beaten so I decided to give it a face lift. It turned out to be a much bigger job than anticipated. It took us 4 days to clean off years of grease and sludge build-up, a day applying metal prep, a day to shoot primer and another day to shoot top coat.

I posted a photo on our Jen Wren Sportfishing Facebook page of myself in the protection gear we wear when working with hazardous materials and received a couple of very funny comments.

Fishing is for the birds

A blue heron at first light

The "before" image of our Caterpillar 980 loader.

The primer coat.

Dave Roberts commented "Breaking Bad Baja style" Ryan Van Fleet commented "The Cook".

Voilá!

Shrimpers in the hood.

Woke up the other morning to find five of them anchored in our front yard.

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Getting spanked]

East Cape - Getting spanked

After a week straight of strong winds and rough seas Mother Nature has put three gorgeous days together. Kite-boarders have been sitting on the beach but now the forecast is that they will be back at it again tomorrow.

While the water and air temperature has cooled the fishing is starting to heat up. There has been a steady sierra mackerel bite near the La Ribera marina entrance and just a little further off shore huachinango and yellowtail are starting to bite. Getting good bait has been the biggest problem for the yellows and snapper. Commercial pangas have been able to get small amounts of squid to float under lights at night and the mini 2 to 3 inch squid have been the ticket for success.

The Buena Vista shore is packed with sardines and pelicans are gorging on them along with sierra mackerel and roosterfish. One morning while walking the beach I watched a couple of roosters corralling and pushing sardines to the beach. It was not the time to be caught with just a coffee cup in my hand but I could have scooped sardines.

All of this is very encouraging and I'm confident that when the greenback mackerel and sardinetta show it is going to be game on. I'm not big on predictions but believe coming off of an El Niño year and with current conditions this will be a spring season to remember.

Recently I have heard reports of Mexican customs levying outlandish fines to visitors arriving at SJD. It has all been related to tobacco and wine. Guests have felt ripped off so I decided to look into the situation and found that one of our local news papers had done an investigation. Below I have quoted part of what they had to say:

We did look into it when the first person complained. David examined his receipt and talked to the guy. Turns out the airport officials did everything by the book, including collecting the money properly and turning it over to the feds.

There is nothing we can do about the locals enforcing the law and giving the money to the proper authorities.

The reason the penalties are so high is Mexico is trying to protect their own tobacco industry and protect their hard currency. This is the same reason Mexico’s laws about importing cars are so harsh. They are trying to protect their auto industry and their hard currency. No country wants a trade imbalance or to lose their currency’s value. Also, just as in the States, Mexico taxes cigs here really high. They lose a lot of tax revenue if people bring in their own tobacco.

This is normal. The people you talk to are not being ripped off.

Everybody knows ignorance of the law is no excuse. To avoid a bitter taste and bad experience upon arrival why are airlines and our local resorts not educating our visitors? The law is very clear and most people will comply if made aware. As example when entering the country a person is allowed one carton of cigarettes. The fine for bringing over the limit is 573% of value or $254USD for a second carton. Unknowledgeable visitors are getting spanked.

It is my belief everybody in the travel business has a duty to make travelers aware. On the "Travel Tips" page of our web site we have posted a link to the Mexican customs laws in English that is very clear. We encourage all guests to visit this page before traveling to avoid the spanking.

Pelicans on the feed

This could be you! The best boats and accommodations are starting to get booked up. Now is the time to book your next visit to the East Cape.

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Hoo's to say]

East Cape - Hoo's to say

East Cape was welcomed into 2015 with strong winds and a chill in the air. The cool breezy weather has continued making it difficult for the few anglers in town to get off shore.

Flocks of pelicans have arrived up and down the Buena Vista shoreline and are feasting on huge schools of sardines. This bait that was mini size just a couple weeks ago has grown to full sized hook bait. Also it appears the volume of sardines is continuing to grow. The early appearance of this great bait gives an outstanding outlook for the 2015 season.

Cooler weather arrived later than normal and water temperature, which has remained relatively warm until now, is starting to plummet. The cooler water will surely create a condition for greenback mackerel to arrive. The combination of mackerel and sardines will create a perfect attraction for yellowtail. It is just the first week of the year and already I can't wait for spring!

2014 was the year of the wahoo. There were unprecedented reports of wahoo from Southern California down the whole Pacific coast to Cabo San Lucas and up inside the Sea of Cortez. The burning question is will these fish stick around for 2015? Who's to say? There were many dinks in the 5 to 10 pound grade. I have never seen a volume of smaller fish like this before which gives me hope that breed stock has moved to Baja and is reproducing.

Anglers regard wahoo as a prized catch for several reasons. Besides being great table fare the challenge of landing this fish is as big of a motive. Bite to hook set ratio is much lower than other gamefish because of their razor sharp teeth and vice like jaws that gives the hoo a huge advantage. Their teeth can go through mono like butter. They can bite down on an artificial lure rip off 50 yards of line and let go without being hooked. Wahoo are equipped to elude being hooked like no other gamefish.

The East Cape was no exception and got in on the action. Jen Wren boats were able to knock wahoo off more anglers bucket lists and had more days of multiple fish than in the prior 5 years put together.

Posted are images of a few happy anglers from the season.

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Caught in the act]

East Cape - Caught in the act

Two days of summer-like weather and north winds are back. Now the surf is pounding and I have graduated to a long sleeved t-shirt to combat the chill.

The last few days walking the beach I have observed juvenile sardines puddling all up and down the shore. Roosterfish, sierra mackerel, Mexican look-downs and other gamefish can be seen feasting on the sardines. Now, gazing out the window while writing, I can see pelicans diving and frigate birds working right in front of our place. After not seeing many sardines along the shore for the last couple years what we are now experiencing gives a very encouraging outlook for our 2015 season.

There has not been much boat traffic but I did hear the high spot of La Ribera has been producing snapper, white bonita and also a few striped marlin.

Have you ever wondered what happens to your bait when a gamefish bites? Normally when a fish is landed there is not a trace of the bait used to entice the bite. Looking through some of the photos we took this year I found a few images of fish caught in the act.

Oops! Gamefish aren't the only ones we caught in the act.

I want to extend a special thanks to Accurate fishing products, AFTCO, Simrad, Calstar, Momoi's Hi-Catch, Costa, Graham Communication, Lynn Rose Tours and Cass tours for helping us make 2014 a great year and your continuing support.

Wishing everybody a happy new year!

Mark Rayor

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[East Cape - Kite city]

East Cape - Kite city

East Cape has been overun with kites. Unfortunately they are not fishing kites. The wind is howling and it has become kite city for wind sailors.

Fishing traffic is very light (not like the wind) and I haven't been able to get a report for a few days. Last I heard there was a pretty good sierra mackerel bite off Punta Pescadero along with a marlin or two but wind was starting to turn the water green.

Several folks have asked what the Jen Wren crew does in the winter and have commented it must be nice to have time off. Well, time off would be nice but we are busy as ever and spring will be here before we know it.

Last year I made a post titled 'Pumped up'. Last month we had to change 2 bait pumps, one tuna tube pump, one fish box pump a macerator pump and a head vacuum pump. To explain just a little of what goes on around here in the winter posted below are some exerpts from " Pumped up" that I will now call Double Pumped.

Double pumped.

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 are 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.

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.

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

Geez! Just reading what we have ahead is making me tired. I'm signing off now, need to go take a nap.

Kite City

Sailors gettin it on.

Double pumped

Mark Rayor

teamjenwren.com

markrayor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing

US cell 310 308 5841

[Try to explain a pilgrim to a Mexican]

Try to explain a pilgrim to a Mexican

Winter has kicked into high gear on the East Cape. The last couple of days north winds have blown so hard the sea has not been fishable. I have watched a couple of departures in the morning from brave souls with high hopes but by 9am they are pounding their way back to anchor. Typically from now though February we will experience a steady diet of this weather. There will be days when the sea calms enough to get out fishing but they will be few and far between. Now is the time kite boarding is the main water sport and it appears to me the sailors are having a heyday.

On one of our last trips of the season we encountered something we have never seen before. I sent photos to National Geographic and other experts but nobody has responded. While trolling about 9 miles off of El Cardonal we spotted a risso dolphin. That in itself is a little unusual. It is not often we see rissos and I don't recall ever seeing one solo.

What we saw next tore at my heart strings. It appeared mama risso had a baby that died. The baby carcass was decaying and obviously had been dead for some time. The dolphin had its young under tow and would not leave it. The animal was not spooked by our boat and we watched long enough to snap more than 100 photos. Finally we left the scene while the dolphin continued on. It would be interesting to find out if this is normal behavior but none of my sources have responded.

In 1991 I pulled the plug on my real estate firm and moved to Buena Vista. It was life changing and the best move I have ever made. I have never looked back and rarely miss anything about Gringolandia. There are only a few major US holidays that don't coincide with Mexican holidays. Thanksgiving is one of those. Our Mexican community has been exposed to enough Americans and for a long enough time to understand Dia Da Gracias. I don't believe the locals understand the origin of the holiday with pilgrims and indians that I grew up with. It is strange to have banks and businesses open and for it to just be another day. This is one of the few times I miss the feelings of the celebration with family and close friends.

Surfs up in Buena Vista

Mark Rayor

teamjenwren.com

markrayor.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing

US cell 310 308 5841