Z Fish Report (2/8/18)

A large hard fighting jack crevalle coming to the boat

Offshore (average) surface water temperature - Includes from the 5-6 mile mark at the 100 fathom line, then to the 1,000 fathom line being at 32 miles: 84°

Inshore (average) surface temperature. From the beach to about 5 miles: 83°

Blue water: (Chlorophyll amounts and surface temps from Terrafin SST) Blue water is almost all the way to the beach up and down the coast. See the below satellite photo. (The white areas are either land mass or cloud cover).

Offshore: Sailfish action has slowed to one or two fish a day per boat, much the same as this last week. Dorado are becoming more scarce also.

Above and below, Chili Willy, a long time client of the Dos
Hermanos pangas, fished inshore with Cheva on the panga
Dos Hermanos II. They went up to the Ranch and  found
4 yellowfin tuna, mixed with 8 jack crevalle only a mile off
the beach

The yellowfin tuna are still a hit or miss situation. But, the separate schools pop up and are still giving action if you are in the right place and time.

A small yellowfin tuna doing the "dance" at the boat , on
the panga Dos Hermanos II

Above and below: Vico Rust of Mount Vernon, WA, fly fishing
with Adolfo on the panga Dos Hermanos  for the hard
fighting black skipjack tuna 

 

Inshore: There are very few roosterfish being caught, and large jack crevalle are being taken, but you have to work for them. The clear water makes conditions very tough to get close to fish cruising the beaches looking for bait. And, the gamefish are spotted by the bait, long before they would have under normal conditions, eliminating the ability for the gamefish to ambush the schools of bait and herd them against the beach.

But the black skipjack tuna action has been outstanding. Due to the abundance of other game fish, this is a fishery not often appreciated here, and rarely targeted. But, for a light line spin caster, or on a fly rod, this incredibly hard pulling fish will wear anybody out.

Ed Kunze                                                               

 (Director of the Roosterfish Foundation, IGFA Representative)