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As they got closer to the kelp, the sea turned blue in spots as dorado streaked around chasing flying fish and small balls of fry. Still far enough away from the drifting kelp to not see directly under it, every lure in the water did get bit, but it is not dorado that cause the ensuing chaos, but the speedster of the sea, wahoo! The line started to peel off of every reel at a speed that is hard to believe, every ratchet making a high-pitched whining noise. One by one, the lines went slack as the teeth of the wahoo, like tiny razor blades, sliced through the #200 monofilament leader. All except one. That one fish bit on the lure and hooked himself just right––for the angler, that is. The hook went into the corner of the jaw, and his teeth were unable to reach the leader. After several high speed runs and massive amounts of head-shaking, he was worked closer to the boat, the gaff was placed in his shoulder, a fish bat rapped across his head and the deckhand attempted to put him in the fish box. There was a problem, though, only two-thirds of his body would fit!
After replacing the bitten–off leaders and a couple of swivels, another pass was made, and this time, the dorado danced on the surface as they took off in different directions. Of course everyone was ready, right? Isn’t this the way it is always supposed to work? Naturally, pandemonium ensued! Everyone was yelling, the rods were getting passed over and under each other as the fish tried to weave a sweater with all the line in the water. No one was paying attention to anyone else. And, of course, no one was taking any pictures! Eventually everything got straightened out, and, one by one, the fish were brought to the boat, gaffed and placed in the fish box where they proceeded to beat a tattoo against the side.
Depending on the needs and wants of the anglers aboard the boat, one of two things happened: Either the lures went back in the water, because they wanted to fill their legal limit of two dorado per angler; or, they decided there was enough dorado onboard for dinner. If they had enough, they decided to change methods and catch a few of the wahoo they could see gliding by down in the depths.
Well, another pass was made with the lures, and the dorado limit was filled. Now it was time to try for a few of those deep–swimming wahoo. Live baits were rigged on a short, wire leader and that, in turn, was attached to a 10–foot mono leader. A 10-ounce lead weight was attached to the top, and the baits were dropped speedily into the depths. With barely a wait, a bait was bit, and the line screamed out. This was becoming old hat to the anglers, and, shortly, another bait was bit. The first fish was a wahoo, the targeted fish, and the second, after a twenty minute fight, turned out to be a 25-pound yellowfin tuna!
By this time, other boats were beginning to arrive, having spotted the lucky boat off in the distance staying in one area and not answering the radio. As one boat turned into two, then three, then a swarm, the remaining fish became educated to the feel of the hook and stopped feeding. As the day drew to a close, the few remaining boats got a last shot as the pressure on the fish let up, and, eventually, darkness fell. The fish slowly regrouped and returned to the silence of the deep water and dark of night. Perhaps a few boats will get lucky and find the kelp again tomorrow: They took the GPS numbers when they left, and, if the captains are lucky or skilled in their estimates of currents, tides and drift, new clients will have a chance to experience the thrill of a lifetime tomorrow.
Does this sound like a typical fisherman’s tale? Maybe a story to lure in the dreamers, starry-eyed about catching a fish that is almost as big as they are? It’s not a tall tale and, while this happening is rare, it does occur at this time of year. The first boat to the kelp is lucky. They get the best action, and the anglers go home with full coolers. But everyone has a chance at fish if circumstances are right. Sometimes, it is a patch of kelp, and other times, it may be a tree trunk or a piece of dunnage off a cargo ship. A floating object as small as a pencil can hold fish if it has been in the water long enough. With enough time, a chain of life will form, which is one reason why the captains and crews are always watching the water both close to the boat and off in the distance.
All right, this may not be the most likely scenario for your fishing trip, but fishermen are nothing if not dreamers. It is what keeps us going out there trip after trip, some fruitless and others just on the verge of being the best trip of your life. Spring in Los Cabos may bring one of those chances you get to have the experience of a lifetime. Even though you might not get the break and be involved in the scene I have painted above, it is always possible to have great action. This is the time of year when anything can happen. There are still large numbers of striped marlin around. Yellowfin tuna like the cooler water of the spring and stay on the surface feeding much longer. Floating objects can hold dorado and wahoo if they have been in the water long enough.
Just as blue marlin and giant yellowfin tuna are desired trophy fish in the summertime, swordfish are the spring trophy fish. Small in numbers in our area, they are still common enough that you have a real chance every time you go out. If the water is between 63 and 70 degrees and just a little bit green, you have a chance of finding one. Swordfish will be found sunning themselves on the surface of the water with the tips of the dorsal and tail fins exposed above the surface. Since they are equal in size, they often appear to be the flippers of a seal. Swordfish normally feed at great depths where the water temperatures are much lower than on the surface, sometimes as much as 25 degrees lower. This means that their body temperatures are lower which results in a much longer time to digest their food. Once they are full, the swordfish swims to the warmer surface water, letting the water and sun warm their bodies, speeding up their metabolism and digesting their meals. This process can take anywhere from one to several hours. It is during this time that the fish are easily spotted with their fins out of the water.
There is a very small window of time between when the fish has digested its food and when it needs to feed again. This is when it is possible to fool the fish into eating your offering. At any other time, you will become frustrated whether you throw live or dead bait at the fish in the hope that you are there at the right time. Most often, the fish will sink into the depths, annoyed at being disturbed during its digestive nap. For someone to catch one of these great–tasting and hard–fighting fish on regulation tackle using bait is an achievement of a lifetime!
While swordfish are the springtime trophy fish, every year early season blue marlin also are caught, and, sometimes, they are the biggest catch of the year. It is a surprise for both the captain and the deckhand when a big blue marlin crashes on a lure intended for a tuna or striped marlin, and often the gear being used in not up to the task of beating a fish of this size. It is a hard thing to take, but if you use only heavy gear in the chance that a big blue comes up, you lose the fun of the fight with smaller fish on lighter gear. Once in a while, things work out just right, and the big fish comes to the boat. Then there are smiles all around. But as this is fairly rare this time of year, don’t expect it to happen.
While only one yellowfin tuna was caught in the opening scenario, they are one of the most common species to be found this time of year. Almost always associated with pods of dolphins, they can range in size from six to over 200 pounds. The most common size are called “footballs” (six to 15 pounds), but school fish (15 to 35 pounds) are almost as common. Captains and deckhands constently scan the horizon hoping to spot small splashes in the distance. This is a sure sign that there are dolphin in the area, feeding and playing, flinging water into the air as they joyously jump clear of the surface.
If dolphins are spotted, the lines are pulled from the water and the boat runs toward the fish, as the first few boats to the school usually have the best luck. It is common to spot one boat, then another, then several more, suddenly take off at full speed for that spot on the horizon. If you arrive there first, you have a good chance of having every lure in the water get hit, and there you are, fighting tuna among a massive pod of dolphin. It can be difficult deciding what to do: Worry about reeling in your fish, or watch your own, personal Sea World show!
So, there are a lot of options for you on the ocean in Los Cabos at this time of year. When the water is 65 degrees on the Pacific and 79 degrees on the Cortés side, anything can happen. That is one of the reasons I love springtime fishing! I hope you get a chance to get out there and experience it yourself.
Remember, billfish are an apex predator, so it is very important to release them!
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