Z Fish Report (5/31/18)

Adolfo, his wife, and his daughter during the Calentona. The fish was released.

It is now June. The best month of fishing here for variety. This the month for blue marlin, big yellowfin tuna coming in close, and the peak month of roosterfish on the back side of the waves. But, it is also a low month for tourism, and few anglers to appreciate what we have to offer.

We also have higher water temperatures than normal for this time of the year.

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 about 32 miles: 87°

Inshore (average) surface temperature. From the beach to about 5 miles: 85°  

Blue water: (Chlorophyll amounts and surface temps from Terrafin SST) The blue water is about 24 miles. Clean water starts from 18 miles on out to the blue water.

Offshore: This last Sunday was another annual kill tournament for sailfish here in Zihuautanejo. This was the Calentona, a captain’s tournament.

And the fishing for sailfish exploded. The captains, who had all lost money in the previous tournament, caught more sailfish than the big tournament. For example, Cheva, on the panga Dos Hermanos II, told me he caught and released 14 sailfish that one day. 

Word came out over the cell phones, it would take at least 40 kilos to be in the money, compared to the 38 kilos which won the huge tournament a few weeks ago.

There were not only more fish caught than the 250 boat tournament earlier, but more fish were released.

Cheva told me there were many boats releasing 6 to 8 sailfish each that day.

   

Inshore: Nothing to report for the inshore. There are no clients here to fish for the fantastic action of the roosterfish. On the full moon this week, the commercial fishermen caught a tremendous amount of the excellent eating barracuda.

Ed Kunze

(Director of the Roosterfish Foundation, IGFA Representative)