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Thumping em The last few weeks yellowfin tuna have been inconsistent, biting one day and not the next. This week was a different story. A huge volume of tuna has shown on East Cape waters and are feeding on red crabs. These fish are not on porpoise and we are sighting them breezing on the surface. Most boats targeting tuna are taking limits everyday. The last couple days the bite has been good in the morning and then slowed. In the afternoon the fish pop back up and if you didn't get a limit in the morning it is a sure thing in the afternoon. Yesterday afternoon tuna were jumping and feeding in a huge area as far as I could see in all directions. Quality dorado are also mixed in along with a few striped marlin and bite while we are waiting for the tuna to pop back up. Cedar plugs have worked well but Halco's have been our secret weapon. They have been the first jig bit on almost every stop. Larger tuna to 100 pounds are being caught with the porpoise. We are able to see these fish in our fish finder but it has been frustrating trying to get them to bite. Pitching in a live bait in front of the porpoise school has been the most effective. In shore rooster fishing has been outstanding. This week we were able to put several anglers on their first roosterfish. One afternoon we released a dozen fish in about an hour. Gary Noble landed this dandy cubara (dog tooth snapper) while fishing for roosterfish Might not have landed this snapper with a J hook Halcos are fish candy Quality dorado I think this dorado must have escaped a gill net at some point in it's life Skipper Chuy watches 4 anglers battling tuna Love our Accurate reels Taking em 2 at a time on Halco lures We have been filling the fish box with tuna everyday Bigger grade of tuna are starting to cooperate Several of our guests caught their first rooster fish this week For frequent East Cape updates "like" www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

HIKE! HIKE! It is about a month later than normal but football sized tuna have finally shown up on East Cape waters in big numbers. Their appearance is just in time to take over for the great dorado bite we have been experiencing that has started to fizzle. It was a mixed bag for us this week with tuna, marlin, dorado and even a close encounter with a broadbill swordfish. Winning the KIR tournament tuna jack pot was fun but sighting the biggest swordie I have ever seen was the most exciting moment of the week for me. Posted are a few random images we captured this week. Typical East Cape sunrise on the water Smokey Chris Moyers kids all got in on the tuna action Sashimi time for Diego Striped marlin action Jen Wren going to work Larry Jackson started his day with a nice dodo Broadbill swordfish What a sight! King boobie stands above the rest on his own turtle For frequent East Cape updates "like" www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

I WON'T SUGAR COAT IT East Cape conditions have been less than desirable. The water has been a horrible off color with strong currents and unstable temperatures. Live bait has also been hard to come by. Working hard we have still been able to scratch out marlin and dorado everyday. It has not been easy though. Most of the 30 to 50 pound dorado we enjoyed early in the week have disappeared. There is still lots of dorado out there but most are the smaller schoolie variety. Tuna continue to be very elusive as well. Spinner and spotted dolphins were located a couple of days but only a hand full of tuna were landed. We were on a spot 2 days ago and our fish finder lit up with tuna at 40 feet. A boat near us hung one that turned out to be 140 pounds. It is an encouraging sign but the fish just wouldn't come up and go for other boats. I believe not having live sardines or fresh squid is not helping our situation. On a bright note 3 broadbill swordfish were sighted yesterday. None of them would bite but it is exciting to know the potential is there. Marlin have been scattered and not concentrated in one area We hung this fish trolling for tuna in the middle of a school of porpoise Mary Francella pictured with Lets Talk Hook Up's Rock Cod Rick Maxa catches a 53 pound dorado on Jen Wren III to win biggest dorado of their tournament at Rancho Leonero Fly guys are having a field day with scoolie dorado Early in the week catching quality dorado was easy The bulls were eating camisetas we were able to make on the buoys This marlin fell for a cedar plug For frequent East Cape updates "like" www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

SOME DANDYS! This week the main East Cape action moved to the buoys about 15 miles off of Punta Pescadro where quality sized dorado have taken center stage. In recent years I can't remember when boats have been able to consistently catch this grade of fish. Lots of smaller schoolie sized fish are being caught as well but when the big dog bites hang on to your hat. The marlin have moved to the same area but the bite has been a little inconsistent. One day they are up and the next day it's a no show The Sea of Cortez never ceases to amaze me and something is always on the prowl. Because of off colored water and crazy currents yellowfin have not made their normal, predictable showing in numbers but dorado have taken up the slack. The dorado not only make good table fare but provide a great photo opportunity as well. Below are some dandys we captured this week. For frequent East Cape updates "like" JEN WREN Sportfishing | Facebook Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com JEN WREN Sportfishing | Facebook US cell 310 308 5841

Making the best better Lots to talk about this week and too many great photos to choose from. The end of last week Yellowfin tuna made their first showing. It looked like the East Cape was off to the races when a few different schools of dolphin were located all holding tuna. Then it happened. The water in the Sea of Cortez turned over to an ugly green color. With that, for now, the tuna have vanished. The striped marlin bite has been very consistent and the off colored water hasn't seemed to deter them. The water appears to be clearing up now but was so off-color for a couple of days it made me wonder how the fish ever found our baits. Getting the marlin to go has been ever changing. One day they will bite the jigs but have nothing to do with them the next. Large 5.5 sized lures have been best. The problem is the weight of the big lures helps the marlin throw them when shaking their head. It has also been an ever changing pattern with fresh baits. One day they are all over live bait and the next prefer ballyhoo. It has kept it interesting and also kept us on our toes. Speaking of bait, the situation has been pretty grim. Sardines have completely vanished making in shore a tough proposition. We were able to make spanish mackerel and sardineta for several days but the porpoise found them and that was the end of that. Now live horalitos and frozen ballyhoo is the only option. This week Accurate Jack Nilsen with his merry team showed up to field test some new Accurate prototypes. He had one of their new "Three Dawg" models and also some other secret stuff. The reels looked the same as older models but I was assured they had some new trick stuff on the inside. Accurate reminds me of Apple computers. They already have the best product available but are always ahead of the curve looking for new ways to make it even better. Jack is one of the luckiest fishermen I have ever encountered. The fish bite every time he visits. In four days we hooked 18 stripers and had many more opportunities. He invited different guests each day to fish with us and every one came away having released at least one marlin. It was a pleasure to have Rancho Leonero owner John Ireland out with us one day as well. Call him lucky! The guy looks like the cat that just ate the canary John Ireland ready to go fishing Team Accurate with Jack and utility man Wayne Kelly battles the first marlin of their trip. Accurate reels make it so easy. Getting it all on camera Secret stuff! There is a marlin on the other end of that line ripping it off the reel. Nothing gets by Wayniac. Here fishy fishy, take that bait. Hooked under the jaw Throwing the hook. Look close, the hook is in the white water in front of the fish. Ever wonder why many of the marlin in photos have a torn dorsal fin? We have grown to love those circle hooks For frequent East Cape updates "like" JEN WREN Sportfishing | Facebook Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com JEN WREN Sportfishing | Facebook US cell 310 308 5841

A LITTLE BLOW MAKES EM GO Fish has been awesome the last couple of weeks with marlin, dorado and in shore rooster fish providing quite a show. Catching has been a trick though. On calm days the fish just don't want to go. When a little breeze comes up, the chop on the water is putting fish more into a feeding mode. With it all, Jen Wren skipper Chuy Cota pulled off the hat trick with 2 of our groups this week. The big East Cape news is yellowfin tuna have finally arrived. Yesterday we were on a school of spinner dolphin 30 plus miles off shore and could see a huge school of tuna with them. They were headed East and were 38 miles off when we left them. This morning another school just 10 miles off shore were located so it looks like game on! 83 year old Russ Sauer has been visiting the East Cape for more than 40 years. He still stands at the rail like a kid to battle marlin and has the same excitement as with his first fish. I want to be like Russ when I grow up. The marlin have been numerous but very finicky. Number one. Denny is the "new guy" on Russ's team. He has only been coming to the East Cape for 16 years. Number two! Skipper Chuy pulls off the hat trick with Dave. Number three! Not a bad day in tough conditions. The boys also landed a few dorado Pam Gray lands our first tuna of 2012 I'll take em anyway we can get them. We lassoed 2 fish in one day. What are the odds? The fish are finicky and just batting the baits around. Luck trumps skill. For frequent East Cape updates "like" www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

CHAIN OF FOOLS Striped marlin are thick from Rancho Leonero to Punta Perico. There are also a few nice dorado and some sailfish in the mix. All day fish are putting on an incredible and exciting show jumping, tailing and feeding. The fish are plugged with squid making it hard for anglers to get the bite. Seeing all the life has not allowed many dull moments. It has been action packed baiting fish after fish hunting for one that will go. Early in the week there was a good rooster bite but they have taken the last couple of days off. Live bait has been hard to come by. The bait pangeros have not been able to make bait at night so frozen ballyhoo has been the only option for purchase in the morning. It is a bit of a weird phenomenon because a mix of spanish mackerel and sardineta are coming to the surface about a mile off shore as soon as the sun rises. We have been able to catch the bait that won't bite in the dark for the pangeros. Sardines have completely evaporated and cannot be found anywhere. I was talking with some of the pangeros at Muertos bay and they believe the bait has just gone deep. I captured this shot of a dorado puking up squid. Several of the marlin we released have been doing the same thing. Chain, chain, chain. Fish are feeding on squid why not a squid chain? It was a pleasure to have AFTCO's Greg Stotesbury fish with us a couple days this week. We have used AFTCO gaffs, gloves, harnesses and other hardware for years. Now they have a new clothing line with some very cool stuff. Red Rooster skipper Andy Cotes vacationing at Rancho Leonero also got in on the action with some friends on Jen Wren. Andy loved the all Accurate gear on our boat. Tom Shellenberger catching the moment We are weeding through the lookers Looking for a biter This thresher shark took a skipjack we were trolling at 40 feet with our down rigger. This weeks weather has been stellar For frequent East Cape updates "like" JEN WREN Sportfishing | Facebook Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com JEN WREN Sportfishing | Facebook US cell 310 308 5841

TURTLE SEX East Cape weather has been about as nice as it gets with calm seas and sunny skies. Marlin fishing has been tough. Finding and sighting fish has been easy but getting them to bite has been frustrating. Boats are only getting one marlin out of ten to take the bait. Quality dorado has taken up some of the slack though. Fish as large as 50 pounds are in the mix every day. In shore rooster fish and pompano are on the feed. Finding sardines for bait has been the key to success and not easy some days. Yellowfin tuna have not arrived yet. I can't remember the last time we weren't knee deep in tuna by the middle of May. We did see a big school of them the other day in Cabo Pulmo Marine Park. That is a protected, no-fishing area but the sighting is a good sign of things to come. Judy Montague got in on some of the great in shore fishing while staying at Rancho Leonero. She heard about Jen Wren and Leonero while fishing an Accurate long range trip. Diego releases a rooster. Judy hangs a bull dorado Marlin are playing hard ball We are working hard to get the bite. Caught in the act. Making baby turtles. For frequent East Cape updates "like" www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

Fishing has been a real roller coaster. Early in the week striped marlin were in a feeding frenzy and giving anglers lots of action. Then the marlin slowed but big dorado showed. Just as the bite was getting into high gear a low pressure system hit and it shut off. The weather brought strong winds and we had a couple of pretty ugly days. Now the wind is gone and a huge volume of marlin have showed just a few miles off Punta Colorada. It has been easy to spot fish but they are finicky biters. It has pretty much been the same roller coaster in shore. Roosterfish, pompano and jacks are on the rampage one day and just flat shut off the next. This do-do was a dandy Jen Wren crew enjoying a day off Giddy up! Diego boats a toad Love our Accurate reels I couldn't let the crew catch ALL the fish There were a few sailfish mix in the action this week Beautiful when they light up Who says there are no orcas in the Sea of Cortez. We saw this big male off La Ribera and we received a couple reports of other sightings. Next week I will be off guiding SCUBA tours on a private yacht. We will be diving from Ceralvo Island to Gordo Banks and everywhere in between. My 19 years experience as a PADI SCUBA instructor and thousands of dives guiding underwater tours in the Sea of Cortez landed this adventure for me. With this I may not be able to post up a fishing report. For frequent East Cape updates "Like" the Jen Wren Sportfishing Facebook page. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

Marlin bite, lines go tight! The week started out with breezy weather and a tough bite. Working hard we were still able to scratch out a fish or two everyday and managed to get a few of the folks that fished with us the experience of catching their first marlin. As the week progressed weather calmed and game fish went on the rampage. From Punta Pescadero to Punta Arena boats are sighting marlin jumping, tailing and feeding on baitfish in a frenzy. Mixed with the marlin are a few quality dorado and sailfish. Schools of bait that was just puddling early in the week is now balled up tight and being pushed around by gamefish. In shore is going off as well with Roosterfish on the feed. It seems the Sea of Cortez has come alive. Not only are anglers experiencing excellent fishing they are sighting a parade of interesting sea life. Sea turtles, porpoise and whales are putting on a show. I was able to capture an incredible amount of great photos this week and have posted some of my favorites East Cape Angler's club champion "Buena Vida" departing at daybreak. This marlin is lit up and ready to take the bait The Adams party having a party Marlin start to cooperate Fish have been good size and putting up epic battles Troy Buzzell experiences his first marlin Lucky break! This fish was never hooked but we were able to bring it to the boat for a release. Nine year lot Ervis with the largest dorado of his life. Pictured with his proud father Jen Wren III deck hand Diego. Smaller Accurate 2 speed reels have changed the game so even a 9 year old can make it look easy. Quality dorado are starting to show 76 year old Chango Cota battles a marlin. Hanging with a tough crowd. We pitched a bait into a school on marlin in a feeding frenzy and hooked a sailfish I believe tuna will be along soon. We metered fish under these porpoise but couldn't get em to go Jumping whales More than a little tail Caught these turtles in the act of making baby turtles. Sorry for the disturbance. 18 year old Lisandro Cota hung a huge thresher shark just beyond Jen Wren's mooring Lisandro with fishing buddy Luis Amador. The shark measured 11 1/2 feet long. The bite is so good I couldn't stand it and got in on the action. For frequent East Cape updates "Like" the Jen Wren Sportfishing Facebook page. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

WHAT SIGN ARE YOU? In shore pompano, sierra mackerel, jacks and an occasional roosterfish are providing anglers loads of action. In Palmas Bay from 5 to 10 miles off shore a large volume of striped marlin have shown and are jumping, tailing and feeding. To coin a description from our friend Gary Graham fishing the marlin bite right now is like "playing Whack a Mole". By the time we get to the feeders they are gone. We are able to slide right up on tailers as they are not being spooked by the boat but are not interested. Big jigs, small jigs, every color in the rainbow, live bait, dead bait, down rigger daisy chain, spreader bar and every trick we can think of has not turned them on. It reminds me of when I was young hanging out in bars. Using my best lines it wasn't often I could get one to turn. There has been lots of wahoo in the area. They have also been finicky and not very interested in artificials. We did get one to go on a Halco GT jig the other day but a trolled bruja (ballyhoo) seems to be their preference. We have been plagued with short biters. The good news is conditions look right. It is fun seeing loads of bait puddling along with game fish. It is just a matter of time for them to turn on. One more note I'm excited about. Just got word from Bart Hall about the winner of the grand prize of the Fred Hall show. The prize this year was a five day trip for 2 to Rancho Leonero, 2 days fishing aboard one of the Jen Wren boats and Jack Nilsen of Accurate reels is to be the host. Plus a $1,000 to be applied toward airfare and ground transportation was also included. The person that won met his wife while on a trip to Rancho Leonero. Because of the hard economy he has been unable to fish much so this trip is very meaningful to him. Short biting wahoo has been frustrating Tailers Jumpers Feeders Fliers! Jen Wren provides part of the grand prize at the Fred Hall show. For frequent East Cape updates visit Jen Wren Sportfishing Facebook page. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

My heart almost stopped East Cape weather has just been spectacular. All week we have enjoyed calm seas and warm days. In shore the water has become crystal clear and off shore is warming and turning a beautiful blue. Biz was slow and I wanted to go fishing so I made a deal with 11 year old Roberto to charter Jen Wren III for the day. When we departed I had broadbill on my mind. First thing in the morning we made the candy bait for our target when a small skipjack ate our hoochie. Arriving at my favorite swordie location we started trolling. We could see some bait breaking on the surface and everything looked right. Suddenly catching something out of the corner of my eye my heart almost stopped. The instant thought in my head was IT'S A SWORDIE! Turning my head for a better look and confirmation the two fins rose higher above the water. Crap! Just a mako. All the charter boat skippers know I'm obsessed with catching another broadbill and always call us on the VHF to tease me if they spot one. It is OK because we are getting good dope and I'll take it. We did have a great day. Roberto landed a nice dorado and we saw loads of sea life. Doesn't get much nicer than this. Roberto battling a nice dorado. Only 11 and you should see him pitch a bait and stroke on a fish. The kid showed up wearing his Costa's and decked out in Pelagic gear. He'll be a chick magnet in a few years. Candy bait I've got swordie fever. Now is the time they show in East Cape waters Was disappointed when it was just a mako. Check out all the pilot fish under this turtle. Conditions are right and the place is going to pop We just got this tigerfish from the taxidermy. Anyone who catches one while on one of our charters gets a free trip. For frequent East Cape fishing updates check out Jen Wren Facebook page. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

Cover of the Rolling Stone not! After a winter of continuous boat maintenance this week we launched Jen Wren III for the season. Yesterday was our shake down trip and it appears all of our hard work has paid off. Eight to ten miles off of the lighthouse schools of bait are starting to puddle up in the blueish 70 degree water. This is a sure sign of good things to come. We sighted jumping marlin, tailing sailfish, and milling dorado and wahoo. Early in the day I sighted a wahoo following the bruja (ballyhoo) we were trolling. It took some coaxing to get the fish to finally bite. As luck would have it, the bite was short and the wahoo took the back half of the Ballyhoo slicing it in two. With that experience we quickly deployed a couple wahoo jigs. My favorite is a Halco GT jig and the Rapala X-rap. After trolling the area where the first fish bit we had a double hook up on the hoo's. All week the weather has been about as good as it gets. Also there are a lot of fish in the area but they are just not quite ready to go. It is good enough that everyone is bringing home fish but they are not turned on enough to take limits. Jen Wren III's winter home Fishing tackle CHECK, cold beer CHECK, Let's go fishing! Two wahoo milling around. They are easy to spot in the calm water What's left of our bruja Diego Romero with our first wahoo of the season Wearing my new AFTCO wahoo shorts I landed a wahoo for dinner Now here is an incredible story. Cleaning the wahoo landed on our Halco we found a piece of our bruja in it's stomach. Lots of sea turtles at the fishing grounds. It's not the Rolling Stone but fishing the Jen Wren our friend Gary Green made the cover of the Gringo Gazette. For daily East Cape updates LIKE our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

From go to slow Early in the week we experienced an incredible bite of quality yellowtail off the high spot at La Ribera. Lots of boats were there and everyone was bent. Several came away with limits. That same afternoon billfish were very aggressive from the light house to Los Frailes charging at lures and baits presented to them. The wind blew for a couple of days and everything changed. Today we could see yellowtail in our fish finder in the same location where the action was early in the week but now only a few boats were able to get them to go. Off shore we sighted marlin, wahoo and sailfish but they were more finicky than Morris the cat. Early in the week we were lettin em go Today they put on a show But none would go. These 3 tailers just flipped us the fin This loggerhead turtle reminded me of Charlie Brown's friend Pig Pen I lost count of how many turtles we sighted Today we found what was left of this odd looking squid. Big fins, short mantle, huge eyes, I don't think it is a humbolt? A small dorado provided dinner and gave a little action I found this odd critter at the waters edge on the beach in front of the boat yard at Rancho Buena Vista. For daily East Cape updates check out our new Facebook page. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/JenWrenSportfishing US cell 310 308 5841

EAST CAPE ROCKS! The bite is sick! East Cape is having the best yellowtail action I have ever seen with fish that look like they are on steroids plus striped marlin have shown up with a big appetite. I love providing the catching experience for first timers. Gary and Cindy Green of Chico CA stopped by with their daughter and granddaughter to set up a fishing trip on Jen Wren. Cindy was very reluctant stating she never had any luck and wanted the rest of the family to go without her. I explained that there was a good chance of sighting whales, porpoise, turtles, sea lions and other sea life and that a great time could be had without catching fish. Yesterday Cindy elected to join the family and what a time it turned out to be. 15 year old granddaughter Shai-Anne and Gary both landed nice yellowtail in the morning. Then we headed a little further off shore where Gary caught and released his first marlin ever. Shortly after that we spotted 4 tailers in a group and hung 2 of them. Gary and Cindy battled both fish to leader and we released them. At the end of the day Cindy had not only seen all the sea life hoped for she had also released the largest fish. 15 year old Shai-Anne with a dandy Proud grandfather with their first yellowtail It was exciting when the first marlin exploded out of the water This fish put on quite a show Gary has the first-timer smile Now husband and wife have doubles going Uh-oh! One is heading south while the other heads north. Thank you Accurate Reels! I love you guys. It is choas! Cindy's fish is a monster striper Finally got em going the same direction. Gary is really putting on the heat. First fish to the boat Here comes number 2 Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com US cell 310 308 5841

LET THE GAMES BEGIN I just returned to the East Cape after 10 days in the Los Angeles area. Visiting family and exhibiting at the Long Beach Fred Hall fishing show was the main purpose of the trip. Exhibiting at Fred Hall was work but it was also loads of fun seeing old friends and making new ones. During the time I was gone this place has gone from windy winter conditions to warm beautiful spring weather. More boats are being put in the water everyday and everybody is buzzing about how good the bite is. A big volume of yellowtail has moved in on most of the high spots up and down the coast. Many quality fish south of 40 pounds are being landed daily. Striped marlin have also become more active and showing in bigger numbers. The most exciting news to me is the sighting of a couple of broadbill swordfish. That news gives me goose bumps. I walked by this sign in the Long Beach convention center for 4 days in a row before my brother pointed it out to me on the 5th day. The prize included 2 days fishing on Jen Wren. If the Hall people would have put a fin on it I might have spotted it sooner. Me and Jennifer ready for the thousands of fisherman that visited the show Reports of swordies have me psyched. Bagged this one on my birthday in May. Trying for one in March this year Just threw this in for kicks. Once in a while I will find a sea horse on our anchor line near the mooring ball. I put this one in our bait tank for a few photos before turning it loose. My buddies said the show was good for me because of my never ending line of BS. They could be right? Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com US cell 310 308 5841

JAIL BAIT Last week I opened my mouth too soon saying we are getting as many calm days as windy ones. This week has brought nothing but strong winds and small craft advisories. I should know better. Every year at this time we are teased with a few nice days and smacked right back up on the porch with hard weather. Fishing before this blow we had a very difficult time finding mackerel for bait. One day there are loads and the next day they are gone. Can't blame it on a full moon but there are other contributing factors. Recently a pod of bottlenosed dolphin have been hanging out near the drop off where bait is generally easy to catch. There has also been a pod of common dolphin cruising up and down the coast near shore. I can't imagine how many tons of fish a whole pod of dolphin consume in a day but it has to be a bunch. Until they move on I believe the bait situation will remain grim. The mackerel also disappear when the humbolt squid move in. I'm certain the squid play havoc with bait fish. Bait is key so we have learned to adjust when the live stuff can't be had. Rigged properly a frozen ballyhoo will swim like a live bait and can be just as deadly and work even better sometimes. Trolling what the locals call a "bruja" (ballyhoo with a small skirt on the nose) on a stinger or whisky line can be magic. Unlike artificials the bruja should be trolled with as little pressure on the drag as possible without the line free spooling. Accurate Boss reels are the bomb for this because they can be left in free spool and enough pressure can be applied with the cast control. Unlike an artificial lure the ballyhoo has the right texture and flavor so the game fish will suck it down. Properly curing the ballyhoo before freezing makes much better bait. There are many secret recipes for curing. I have found brining them for a couple of days in a mixture of rock salt and baking soda with crushed ice works best. When they are ready we vacuum package them in seal-a-meal bags and they will stay good in the freezer until we need them. On many occasions we are able to catch live bait off shore and always keep a Sabiki rigged for when the opportunity arises. A sabiki is a ganion of small hooks garnished with a little dried fish skin or colored yarn. Sometimes a spot of bait can be seen on the surface and several can be caught at a time by pitching the sabiki at them. Other times bait can be found with our depth sounder. Last year the shark buoys off shore was loaded for months. There was a smorgasbord of bait there and we caught horalijtos, caballitos, bullet tuna, scad and camiseta. All are excellent for marlin, tuna and dorado. The camiseta is an interesting little fish. It is really a pilot fish but the local fishermen call them "camiseta" because it's strips look like a jail uniform. It is off to Gringolandia for me. If you find yourself in Long Beach Ca between the 7th and 11th stop by and see us at the Fred Hall show. Common dolphin making it tough to make bait Greenback mackerel Horalijto aka blue runner or green jack. This is not my favorite but better than nothing when live bait is hard to come by. The Bruja Mixed bag at the buoys Very good looking Jail Bait. Gracie saw me packing and is giving me the cold shoulder. Ed the cat could care less. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com US cell 310 308 5841

LIVING IN NAIROBI Word on the street is that East Cape fishing is lighting up. Dorado and striped marlin are starting to show in good numbers off shore a few miles south of Punta Arena Light house. Only a boat or two have been out there most days and are consistently having success. In shore sierra mackerel continue to bite with El Cardonal area producing the most action. Just a couple miles off the beach in Buena Vista quality sized yellowtail have made a showing. Live bait is key to get the yellows going. I was out there yesterday morning and had a hard time making bait. It took until 8:30 to finally catch a mackerel. After pinning it on and pitching it out it only took a 5 minutes to hang a 25 pound yellowtail. Unfortunately I forgot my camera but we had some great sashimi last night. The weather is changing and we are now getting as many calm days as windy ones. I've put away my Ugg boots and we are not needing the fire place to warm our home. We are going to put Jen Wren in tomorrow for the first trips of the season and see what we can stir up. Back in 92 I was in LA for a long weekend and wanted to pick up a spear gun that had been advertised in a skindiving magazine. It was frustrating calling dive shop after shop to find nobody had one in stock. Finally talking to a shop owner I explained where we live, why I wanted that particular gun and asked why nobody in the Los Angeles area stocked them. He said sir, where you are living is like Nairobi and we just don't get calls for elephant guns. That reply has always stuck with me and is a very good description of the East Cape. The areas we fish everyday on the Sea of Cortez have produced 1,000 pound marlin, cow yellowfin tuna in excess of 300 pounds and yes, the "gladiator of the sea" broadbill swordfish. We may not get a shot at these trophies every day but the possibility is always there. For just this reason we keep an elephant gun rigged and ready on both Jen Wren boats. When the opportunity for a trophy of a lifetime arises there is no fumbling around for the right gear. We just grab the stick that is prepared and always within short reach for the occasion. I love breaking out the big guns. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com US cell 310 308 5841

A WHALE OF A PRIZE After a few days of windy weather the Sea of Cortez has laid down nicely today. The water along our beach is clear, blue and loaded with bait fish. I am excited that conditions look right for fishing to go off as spring arrives. The change in weather came just in time for the newly formed non profit "East Cape Sportfishing Club" consisting of 14 members to hold their first tournament today. Five entries fished for 3 hours with a target species of sierra mackerel. Winning was based on total weight for a 5 fish maximum. I witnessed the tournaments shot gun start from the beach at the Gaviota palapa in Buena Vista at 7AM for the 3 boats that arrived on time. Wining 2,800 pesos in 1st place with total weight of 7.995 for 5 fish was Isrial "Cayuyu" Castro. 2nd prize of 1,200 pesos was taken by Winslow who also weighed 5 fish. Cayuyu also won the 1,350 peso jack pot with a 2.33 kilo fish. Felipe Valdez said 15 other applications to join the new club have been received from local Mexicans and Americans. The club is waiting for final approval of their paper work from Hacienda and other governmental agencies before accepting more members. He also went on to say the club was formed by the community and is for the community of the East Cape. Besides introducing sportfishing to our youth they will promote and support independent charter operators and have a voice in regulation and protection of sport fish in our area. During our high season April though November Jen Wren boats are constantly on the water and our fishing tackle gets put to the test everyday. Fishing rods need some required maintenance at the end of the season but on a daily basis just rinsing the salt of the guides and reel seats and then drying them has worked for me. Fishing reels require more attention. Before washing a reel we make sure the drag is on full. This assures that no water will get to the drag while washing. Then we make sure they are completely dried. Once a month or so I lubricate the handle, clicker and drag adjustment knob with Reel X. If I know a reel is not going to get used for more than a month we remove the mono top shot. If this is not done, moisture can be trapped on the Spectra backing causing it to rot and shorten it's life. Seven years ago I received my first Accurate reel as a gift. To tell you the truth, being a tried and true gold reel man, I didn't think much of it at the time. As time went along I came to really like that little platinum reel. Then the light came on. Twin drags are the real deal. It is not a gimmick. Having stopping power on both sides of the reel spool is what makes their drag smoothest in the industry. The spool doesn't torque to one side as your car would with just brakes on one side. Over the last 6 years I have migrated to using Accurate reels exclusively and have never looked back. Now Jen Wren boats are fully equipped with them. It is amazing we have NEVER had to change a drag washer in an Accurate reel. Since using these reels we have never lost a fish due to reel failure. When we send a reel to Accurate for service it returns with a full written report. There is a check list the technician fills out which gives assurance everything has been checked. There is a list of any parts replaced along with the old parts. My reports this year even told how long each reel was worked on. The average was 55 to 65 minutes. Seems like a long time in the right environment with the right tools. That gives me confidence the reels come out like new. I was surprised to learn all this information goes into Accurate's data base. If they find a certain model reel is wearing the same part they want to know and will investigate why. Wow, not sure how I got off on that but my feelings are strong. As promised last week, here is my story on how Jen Wren got involved with the Fred Hall show in Long Beach that will be from March 7th through the 11th. Last month I was invited by long time friend Pete Gray to be on his radio show Let's talk Hook Up. The anticipation was nerve racking but fielding questions from callers and talking about the East Cape turned out to be a kick in the pants. Pete always asks his guests if they will donate a prize to give away to his callers. Wanting to get the biggest bang for my buck I asked John Ireland if he would participate. To my surprise he ponied up a 3 night stay at Rancho Leonero. In addition to that, we gave away a days fishing on Jen Wren III. Pete's phones rang off the hook. The next thing I know I'm being contacted by the Fred Hall Show promoters. Every year they give away a grand prize to one lucky winner who attends their show. They liked the prize given away by Pete and were thinking about something similar. One thing led to another and with the graciousness of John Ireland and Jack Nilsen we came up with a whale of a prize. HERE IS A WHALE OF A PRIZE Go fishing with Jack!!! Accurate Fishing is sponsoring the Fred Hall Grand Prize trip giveaway this year. An awesome trip for (2) to Rancho Leonero in the east cape for 5 days including 2 days fishing aboard Jen Wren Sportfishing with Accurate's own Jack Nilsen as your newest fishing partner and personal photograher. This prize includes airfare and ground transportation too. Just visit the Accurate booth at the Fred Hall Shows and enter to win. This is an opportunity you don't want to miss! YOUR HOST AT WORK YOUR RIDE YOUR TACKLE If you plan on attending the show please stop by. We will be located next Michael Fowlkes "Inside Sportfishing" and across from Accurate Reels on tackle row. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com US cell 310 308 5841

I just got back to the East Cape after spending a week in Guatemala. Information on our current fishing conditions is hard to come by. Yesterday no resort cruisers fished. This morning only 2 departed to try their luck. Inshore the water appears to be very clear and is loaded with bait. At dusk and dawn hoards of pelicans are gorging themselves on the bait. Even the in shore tin boaters are few and far between right now. I did hear a report that beach fishermen a little south of us are hooking some nice roosters. Walking the beach this morning, was as deserted as Redemption Island. I did see 3 shrimp boats come in and anchor up after working all night. My experience in Guatemala was outstanding. Visiting the ancient Mayan ruins that were discovered and carved out of the jungle was the main objective of our trip. Tikal was unbelievable. It was also an incredible adventure, taking a river boat to Ceibal while observing crocodiles and large fresh water turtles, then walking through the jungle listening to howler monkeys in the wild. At Flores we found ourselves with a free day and decided to look for a place we could fish for snook. Fishing is not heavily promoted and getting info was not easy. Finally we decided it would be worth the two hour taxi ride to Rio Dulce near Livingston where the river dumped into the Caribbean. The following morning ready to depart at 5AM we woke to a torrential down poor. Not wanting to ride 2 hours and get shut out we decided to cancel. You can take the fisherman off the Sea of Cortez but you can't take fishing out of his soul. In the afternoon the weather cleared and we found a pangero to take us out on Lago Peten Itza at Flores. The guy only had one make-shift rod so I hand lined a small Rapala while we trolled. I have no idea what the limit was but in just a couple hours we had a boat load of pez blanco. Our time in Guatemala will always bring great memories. The people were warm and friendly, food excellent, prices reasonable, sights unbelievable and a wonderful place to vacation. Reading the travel advisories had me very nervous and as where we live in Mexico I found none of it to be true. One last note. We were flattered when the Fred Hall Fishing and Vacation Show approached us about using Jen Wren Sportfishing in conjunction with Accurate Reels and Rancho Leonero for their grand prize at the Long Beach and Del Mar show this year. More on this in my next blog. Tikal carved out of the jungle was amazing A mile hike through the jungle opened up to Cibal ruins The travel advisories were a crock! Had to get a fix. Pez blanco Shrimp boats stern tied this morning Buena Vista sunset. As beautiful as it is I can hardly wait until next month when the focus will be on jumping game fish. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com US cell 310 308 5841

I CALL IT THE "MPS" When the wind doesn't blow the marlin want to go. I just spoke with a couple of fishermen who stayed at the Los Barriles Hotel and fished a local charter boat for the last three days. The first two days weather was calm and they accounted for 2 striped marlin and 10 dorado. Their last day the wind hooped up and the count was a goose egg. This is typical for winter time fishing on the East Cape. The bite can be good but is never consistent. I believe all the ups and downs in weather is the largest contributing factor. It has been the same deal fishing for yellowtail. No doubt they are in the neighborhood. One day a guy can go out and bag a couple 30-35 pounders and the next day they are gone. Two or three days later they bite again. Personally I can't wait to get past February. Entering March we are over the hump and the bite is much more consistent. Warming water and more active bait, turns sea life on. Turns me on also. In March the marlin start to pile up in large schools and sometimes yellowfin tuna make an early showing. Roosterfish become active and the whole sea starts to wake up from winter. It is also when sightings and the shot at a swordfish are at their best. Talk about a turn on! When I moved to the East Cape in 1991 GPS's were not available and Loran's did not work in this area. Navigating the Sea of Cortez was done with a compass and a wrist watch. The local fishermen would find their sweet spots and relate their location to each other by using a triangulation method. Not knowing the names of mountain peaks or different beach areas, I installed a direction finder on my boat. With that, I could at least tell which direction they were broadcasting from. The direction finder never did work very well but learning the Mexican method has. Now folks will ask how did you find that other boat or sweet spot without your GPS. My anwser is the MPS ... "Mexican Positioning System". In the back ground on this picture is a mountain peak called Picacho (translation is peak). It is located behind San Jose airport and prominently stands out from almost anywhere in Palmas Bay. It is almost always used in navigating the East Cape. The low sloping hill in front of Picacho is call Caguama. The literal translation is Loggerhead but the locals use that word for all sea turtles. Use your imagination and the hill looks like a turtle. This location is known at Picacho Y Caguama. The mountain peak in the backround of this photo is Sierra Alta. It is also a major navigation marker. Straight down on the beach from Sierra Alta is Buenas Aires. The high spot off La Ribera is right where Picacho y Caguama and Siera Alta y Buenas Aires are all lined up. It is consistently one of the hottest fishing spots on the East Cape. This location is Releases (the white marks on the mountain) Y Punta Colorada. Here is a photo of a remora. They are the strange sucker fish we see stuck to the sides of Marlin. Caught this shrimp boat going to work in front of our place the other evening We found this cute little coronetfish floating in our bait tank. Poor guy must have gotten trapped in a throw net when a pangero was making sardines It is hard to find foliage that will thrive and tolerate the salt and wind on the beach. I rescued this Yucca plant from the desert and put it in front of our home. It seems to like the beach as much as me and is flowering to prove it. That is Palmas de Cortez in the back ground. Can't hardly wait for spring! Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com US cell 310 308 5841

The rising sun This week the East Cape has experienced more calm days with warmer weather than in the past several weeks. With the break in weather private boaters fishing in shore have been getting some early morning action. Sierra, white bonito, roosterfish, jack cravell and even a few small dorado have been busting large schools of sardines up and down Buena Vista beaches. Humpback whales with their calfs and huge schools of mobula manta rays have also arrived and can be seen putting on a show from shore. Most of our local resorts have closed for the winter and only one or two charter boats have been fishing daily. Traveling long distances and fishing off shore has not paid off. The best action has remained near shore. The Sea of Cortez is one of the most magnificent bodies of water on this planet. I have posted a few random photos of the sunrise I wake up to every morning. Looking out my window it is impossible to wake up without a happy face. I am reminded of one of my all time favorite movies "Groundhog Day" staring Bill Murry. In the movie Murry wakes up every morning to his alarm clock with Sonny and Cher singing "I Got You Babe". He experiences groundhog day, day after day after day. Every Groundhog Day it is always a treat to watch the movie. Bill Murry got "You Babe", I get a much better deal with these sunrises every morning. Slept in this morning and caught this before even getting out of bed. Captured this image the other morning from our front porch of a mother humpback with her calf. The pup appears to be very young. It was a priceless sight. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com US cell 310 308 5841

THE TYPICAL HOOT The buzz of reports that a few nice yellowtail have been landed on the East Cape has locals excited. The largest problem is that strong north winds typical of this time of year are keeping anglers on the beach most days. Tired of watching the wind blow we took our annual camping trip to Mag Bay. This is the time of year on the full moon and new moon that we experience extreme tides. La Paz is our first stop where we load up on supplies for the week. Then it is up highway 1 toward Ciudad Constitucion. Turning off the highway we head toward the water down a washboard dirt road for about 20 miles until reaching a small fish camp. The pangeros there work mostly at night for shrimp and crab and we are able to buy all we want. Just past the fish camp is a tiny naval base. Past the base the road leads us to a beautiful deserted beach where we can camp at the waters edge. Mag is about as close to utopia for an outdoorsman that I can imagine. On the low tide there are areas where we can harvest a bucket of chocolate clams in about an hour. On high tide fishing the mangroves is always action packed for a variety of species. That is not to mention sighting hoards of different birds, whales and porpoise close up. Baja sunrise is just the best It didn't take long for Jennifer to hang the first small halibut This crab in the mangroves thought it was camouflaged A whole tree full of Frigate birds were checking us out A small grouper can be fun on light line We landed between 80 and 100 spotted bay bass everyday most of which were released An abandoned pier at Isla Santa Margarita is not so abandoned. Chocolate clams Nothing better then fresh clams on the barbecue Seafood galore! I got tired of eating clams, shrimp and crab but never get tired of the gorgeous sunrises A snap shot of our camp before we break it down This was the rig I used for several years. The friends we travel with would always have a pool betting on what kilometer marker I would lose it. It even surprised me but we never did. I did succumb to peer presure and this is our stealthy looking new rig. The trip wouldn't be complete without a flat. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com

The East Cape fish report for the last week of the year is pretty grim. The north winds gave us a break for a couple of days but the fish did not. Reports from the handful of charter boats that fished off shore was the water is off color, cold and lacking life. The 32 contestants that fished the beach in Felipe Valdez's annual sierra tournament only accounted for one fish. On a brighter note lets talk about what was. My old man started me fishing on half day boats at six years old. It was time spent with my dad that I will never forget. I'm certain that is part of the reason I have so much passion for sportfishing fishing today. In 2011 we were fortunate to introduce fishing the Sea of Cortez to more young people on our Jen Wren boats then ever before. Each youth parted with a positive experience and memories they will always remember. I believe this will have a life-long impact on their lives. It gives me great personal pleasure to help provide the experience, share in the excitement and see the smiles on young faces. After their return home from vacation, it is very rewarding to hear back from parents about how their kid could hardly wait to share their fishing experience with friends and also wrote school reports about their adventure. Posted are a few photos of such good times. Then .... some kids just never grow up. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com

THAT'S THE BREAKS Wishing all my friends a belated Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. This has been the windiest week of the year for the East Cape and there is no fishing activity at this time to report on. Reflecting back on our fishing year for 2011, Jen Wren boats had some good breaks and some bad breaks. Thankfully some days the fish gods just tossed us one and I call that a lucky break. I have posted some images of just a few of the lucky breaks we had this year. Right out of the gate on our first fishing day of 2011 we landed a wahoo that hit a marlin lure rigged with straight mono. Lucky break. This striped marlin really put up a battle. At leader we could see the fish was never hooked, just lassoed. Lucky break The bite was off on this day and fishing was tough until we tail hooked this striped marlin with the treble hooks of a Halco GT Jig. Lucky Break. Another lassoed marlin. Lucky break. On this day we found a school of bottle-nose dolphin near Punta Pescadero. We trolled around and around through the dolphin changing lures and trying everything in our bag of tricks. I could see fish in my meter but we just couldn't get em to go. My deck hand got frustrated and said "let's get out of here". I wasn't ready and decided to stop and soak a mackerel. As Jen Wren III slowed to a stop the Zuker 5.5 teaser we were trolling started to sink and bendo! We hung this 200 pound tuna. Lucky break. On this day we had a double billfish hook up drifting live baits on the high spot off La Ribera. What are the odds? Both fish turned out to be lassoed around the bill without a hook in either. We were able to release them both. Lucky Break. By the skin of your chinny chin chin. Lucky break Almost pulled the lips off of this Yellowfin tuna. Lucky break And then there is Accurate Jack Nilsen. His middle name is Lucky break. Wishing everybody tight lines and lots of lucky breaks in 2012. Mark Rayor teamjenwren.com markrayor.blogspot.com