Z Fish Report (8/30/12)

Roger Reese with Adolfo and an estimated
70 pound plus roosterfish

The blue water has moved out a bit to about the 12 mile mark, but what is astounding is the surface temperature is averaging between 84 and 85 degrees to out at least 30 miles and to the 1,000 fathom line. The sailfish action is still about 1 to 2 fish a day per boat, which is about average for this time of the year. The dorado action died off a bit this week, but it was on fire down at Puerto Vicente Guerrero. I was down there this last Sunday, and all the local fishermen were getting about 10 fish each, weighing between a respectable 12 and 20 pounds. I expect those fish to move up here any day.

Roger and Adolfo with some excellent eating

Roosterfish are still the main attraction, with Adolfo on the panga Dos Hermanos having them located down in the Petatlan area.

Early in the week Roger Reese, from Springfield Illinois, fished 4 days with Adolfo and got 7 huge roosters, several jack crevalle and 3 nice dorado. His first rooster of the first day was at 8:30 AM and estimated at over 70 pounds. Roger told me: “How could it get any better?”

Look how long and narrow Roger's rooster is.
It should weigh double of what it is.

Then fly fishing client Steve Skidmore and his spin fishing wife Alex, from Seattle, fished with Adolfo and I in the same areas south of Zihuatanejo as Roger had fished a couple of days earlier. But, every day on the water is a new day, and we had incredibly huge waves to contend with. When the sets came in, some of the waves had faces of 12 to 14 feet. This is not an ideal time to be too close to the shore. But, this is not Kansas, nor the East Cape of Baja. It is blue collar fly fishing, and we still got it done!

Steve Skidmore with his fly caught rooster

With Steve up on the bow, bracing himself as best as he could to cast the 10wt, and deckhand gorilla sitting up on the roof of the panga and making consistent 100 yard casts with the popper, we ended up with two spin rod roosters, 1 fly caught rooster, a nice jack crevalle, a couple of needle fish, and a lot of misses on roosters. But, it was Steve’s first time and there is a learning curve. When he comes back he will be ready, and absolutely amazed in the changed surf conditions.

Alex Skidmore actually tailed this rooster out of the water

Backing up a bit about Adolfo’s deckhand’s nickname. His real name is Jesus (Hay zoose). He is the best deckhand in the port for roosters, working for 12 years now with the best captain there is (anywhere) for roosters. He earned the nickname gorilla, not because he is built like one (he is actually built like an NFL guard, but shorter), but because he will sit up there on the top of the panga roof and consistently make cats of 80 to 100 yards, or more, all day long. He is in the hot sun, and it is incredibly tiring work to scream the surface popper across the surface. Yet, he does it all day long. The only time he gets a break is if the fly client hooks up. He will be so exhausted by day’s end; he stays on the roof and sleeps the 1.5 hours back to port.

When the surf is high, like it was for us, the roosters can handle the pounding surf, but the bait cannot. They have to move out to deeper water. Adolfo would spot the breaking fish and accelerate to full throttle, getting us there in time to have plenty of action.

Alex and her jack crevalle

Ironically, it was only when Alex went under the covered top to have a bite of sandwich did Adolfo spot the breaking fish. Naw…we aren’t superstitious. But, after the 1st huge melee, and some slack time afterwards, she said “It was the sandwich!” She went back, took a bite and it happened all over again. Go figure!

I think Steve and Alex had a good time

Steve did have several chances at roosters teased in from the surf, but most of our fish came off the roosters boiling on bait about 200 yards off the beach. In fact, Steve’s rooster was not off the teaser, but rather casting from the bow into the crashing fish. His first fish was a needle fish and foul hooked in the back, which was a huge disappointment.

The second time we came up on breaking fish, there were dorado, jacks, and roosters. And Steve got his rooster.

Ed Kunze (IGFA Representative)

For a better understanding of our seasons and species of fish here, please click on this link: http://calendarforfishing.blogspot.mx/