Los Cabos Recap - Dos Mil Doce (2012) and a little current

[tat.tatterson]

It seems as though everywhere I look in the media I see “Recaps”of the good, the bad and the ugly of 2012 so I thought it fit to throw out my own two-cents worth. (Scroll down for current report).
Generally, in the big picture, we’ve had a phenomenal year in Los Cabos. 2012 kicked off nicely with the Striped Marlin hangin’ around for us on our side (San Jose) late into February and even longer further south and west out in the ocean. School tuna and dorado cooperated throughout the spring and provided a nice addition to our steady near-shore winter fishery which we perfected (by necessity) during the ice-cold air and subsequentlyf rigid water temps of Winter’10.
Although I personally spent much of late spring in Panama and the bulk of the summer in Alaska (our other hubs) our crews and those of many other charter companies kicked some serious behind and kept the clients smiling. But then comes my favorite time of the year in Baja… FALL. Not only is it a welcome reprieve from the 110, 16-hours days we just finished working up north, it’s a 180 degree change in course from the frantic, butt-busting schedule and pissed-off at times seas to the… Mexican Way. Ashamedly, I’m just now starting to “enjoy” the Mexican Way, here at the start of my second decade down south.
It seemed to me to still be hot enough to cook eggs on theside walk in early October but the fishing more than made up for it. The dorado were thick, some big marlin (early) and tuna (all fall) and even the skipjack had teeth. We didn’t do quite as well as last October when the day before the Bisbee B&B we released a Blue that would have won the tourney and the day after the awards dinner released a Black that would have won as well (no fish tale). This year however, Hurricane Paul thoroughly destroyed fishing for both of the big October tournaments and will go down in history as having caused more havoc on water than it did on land. That’s a blessing though for those of us who depend on the local infrastructure to survive.
Big, middle and small tuna were plentiful enough throughout the month of November (and much more than that) to keep our minds off the fact that the striped marlin were taking their time heading south in the warmer than normal water off the coast. Then, about mid-late Nov. we started missing lures that were tied to the ends of our lines. Sometimes, you just see your trolled line back there just waving in the breeze… don’t even SEE a bite. But, the telltale curly cue at the end of 300lb. mono is just like Paul Harvey telling, “The REST of the story.” Starts with a “W” and ends with a pair of “O’s”.
To make a little more sense of my ramblings, we operate charter boats and businesses in three locations along the eastern Pacific coastline (Panama still a work in progress). Some are seasonal and some year-round, depending upon fish migration patterns and our planet’s climate. I feel like the quintessential snowbird… my winter is most folks’ summer and vice versa. I never have to spend more than 50% of face value while shopping for apparel in North American stores because as summer ends and clearance sales begin… I need summer clothes, and again… vice versa for winter. At times the same goes for gear, thank Goodness.
-SCROLL TO HERE FOR CURRENT FISHING REPORT-
The wahoo are still here mixed in with plenty of dorado along the coast on both sides of the PLC marina. Striped marlin have made the corner our way and multiple release days are now happening “east” of the arch as well as west. Any day now our inshore fishery will kick in to supplement our currently stellar sierra fishing and this should provide plenty of grouper and snapper (to name a few).
Thanks to all of you who have contributed to our success and we hope to see you again at one of our Pacific destinations soon. Happy New Year!
-Capt. Tat
www.pfishmexico.com
www.pacificfishing.us