Yellowtail Invade the East Cape 3/19/12

Report by Cass Tours

Water
Beautiful clean flat water all week. In front of hotel 65-66 degree water, five miles south, a temp break of five degrees to 70.

Air
Early spring weather. Absolutely perfect for this time of year. Highs in the low 80's, cool evenings and mornings..

The best Yellowtail bite on record for the E Cape is going on right now! The average fish 25 to 35#'s with some 50's mixed in. All boats taking at least four with most taking up to ten. The bite was good two weeks ago, it has improved steadily. Large schools of Yellowtail in a hundred to two hundred feet of water hitting both lures and live bait on all the dropoffs directly off La Ribera. After limiting on Yellowtail, anglers are trolling the La Ribera banks and working the temperature break just on the hotel side of the light house. There are lots of Striped Marlin around and most anglers are releasing billfish daily. The temp. break is also producing some nice Dorado in the ten to twenty pound range. There are large schools of bait throughout Palmas bay. Very light pressure inside as all anglers are targeting the Yellowtail. A very defined big temperature break just north of the Las Arenas lighthouse is producing Dorado and Stripers. This break has been around for the past two weeks holding fish.

Yellowtail
Taking both iron and live Caballito, Sardina, Spanish mackerel and Mullet. In deeper water over a hundred feet. The first inside bank off La Ribera is producing limits for all anglers for the last week. Thirty pound fish are common and a number of fourty to fifty pounders are being boated. By far our our best fishing for Yellowtail ever in the E Cape.

Striped Marlin
If the Yellowtail weren't around the early marlin bite would be the big story. Very good billfishing with Stripers close to the hotel on the outside La Ribera banks and on the temp. break. north of Las arenas. Anglers targeting billfish are having luck with most releasing at least one fish. The fish are taking both lures and live bait about 50/50. These are big Stripers in the 150 to 200# class.

Dorado
A few taken as most anglers targeting the Yellowtail. An early bite for Dorado. Some nice fish taken in the mid teens. Live Sardine working best. All taken on the temp break off the light house.

 Buena pesca,

Mark
EastCapeGuides.com