LOS-CABOS

[walleye_dog]

Just looking for some thoughts from someone who has had the experience of fishing down in Cabo San Lucas. We are leaving on the 10th of Apr. coming home on the 17th. We have chartered the ElBudster for a day of marlin fishing mid-week, so any feedback would be helpful.

[Tom Linderholm]

Not sure what your looking for, I haven't heard of the ElBudster. I have gone out twice in Cabo once on the Dorado fleet and once on a less popular one. When with the Dorado it was a very enjoyable trip with both the captain and mate knowing what they were doing and working well together to get us on fish. The latter trip was not so productive, with a first mate that must of been a stand in as we saw 8 bills with opportunity of hook ups and he only made one cast that would have sealed the deal the rest were way off base. Some were on the wrong side of the boat. We ended up with a few fish but I think luck was on our side. Be wary of your boat. Make sure they get you set up with proper licensing or you'll be spending the majority of your time with the federallies.

The afternoons get rough out there so if you have the slightest thought that you may get queasy bring Dramamine.

Also first thing you do is let the crew know of your intentions otherwise they will all get the gaff. No need to keep Marlin, keep the Tuna and Dorado much tastier.

Bring a soft sided cooler with to bring back your fish and save any water bottles you get down there to make ice as they don't allow bulk ice in them. Coolers are very expensive down there.

On a side note go to the Cabo Wabo restaurant and get a Lobster Burrito, only place I know where you get over a pound of lobster for $8. Very, Very, Tasty!!!

Enjoy.

[Mr. Nailz]

We were there the first week in January. We had a great fishing trip. We fished on the "Tailchaser". It was a great boat with a great crew. Had a great day with many Yellowfin and some striped Marlin. It is a great time and as stated before make sure you have your things in order. My only regret is that we didn't fish earlier in the week, so we could have went again.

[traveler]

Hey walleye_dog, I've been fishing CSL for a few years now, my current favorite place! I've fished on the El Budster, no worries whatsoever. You picked a very good charter. Anything I can add to the good advice you've already recieved, just ask. I'll second Cheffrys advice to release any marlin you are fortunate enough to boat.

[musky hunter]

I had the opportunity to fish Cabo a few years ago. I met up with a friend who had actually dragged a Lake Superior Boat thousands of miles behind his motor home. Althought the freedom of having the easy access to the boat was nice, experience does matter. If you are going for billfish, the best bet is to charter with an experienced captain, chances of success are about a hundred times greater. But we had real good success downrigging right off the big rock just out of the Cabo harbor with Lake Superior tackle. Rooster fish and some kind of mackeral, they were easy to catch in about 60' of water, and we got a lot. Though not large, maybe 5-10 lbs, the mackeral were just delicous. But that isn't what most folks go to Cabo for. My friend took a large billfish the day before I got down, but for some reason we couldn't hook up another. There was a plethera of marine mammal activity out in the ocean, but we were too dumb to try for tuna under the schooling dolphin. If you locate the dophin, you may have located the tuna concentrations. So if the billfish aren't doing it for you, consider some deep tuna action. Cabo is a great vacation destination, but It's al little more upscale than other Mexican destinations and a little more pricey.

[traveler]

Muskyhunter, that is just too cool! I would LOVE to have a shot with my own boat down there. Those were sierra mackeral yo were catching,BTW. They love em' for ceviche (raw fish in lime) down there, and it ain't half bad. Downrigging for marlin...I love it!

[walleye_dog]

Thanks for all the replies guys, some useful info there. As long as there is boat-water-gear-fish, should be a good trip. Thanks again, Rob

[walleye_dog]

Hey Traveler -

Since you've been on the El Budster before, is it true you can't pull the marlin into the boat to take a picture? After we booked my wife was a little disappointed after learning we could not have a photo of a caught marlin. Is this common, or are they more sportsmanlike than the rest of the charters? If so, I can understand. Also, where did you stay? Thanks again.

[traveler]

WD, it's been 4 or 5 years since I fished on the El Budster, but I still feel confident giving them a thumbs up. I follow several saltwater forums and know thier operation has since grown, but they still get very good reviews. Do they state on ther site that marlin can't be boated for pics? I don't recall that with them, but it's been a few years and a lot of boats since...now I fish with Pisces fleet mostly, and like the job they do. The whole photographing marlin thing is really tricky( unless you kill them, of course); for all the fish I've caught I have only a handful of good pics, although thats partly because I usually fish solo and it's a kind of tough to take solo pics with a big fish at boatside:) One of my first (and favorite) pics I took leaning over the rail and getting a close-up eye to eye with the fish. Some charters will bring fish on board for pics, some won't, I've never seen/heard of that being specified beforehand. As long as there are 2 of you you should be able to get some good shots; your best opportunities are when the fish is first hooked, and near the end; sometimes they will do some last minute theatrics very close to the boat. The guy on the rod can feel the fish about to surface/jump and cue the cameraman to be ready for a quick pic. Most of my best pics have come at/around release. As long as the crew sees you're into it and want good pics, they wil help as best they can. As far as hotels go, If you want to stay cheap but decent, try Siesta Suites or Mar De Cortez, both walking distance and 50-60 bucks a nite. Thats about the cheapest in Cabo for something clean, and both are a crawl from Cabo Wabo or the marina:)

[MAITOI]

I suggest bringing Traveler along to take the pictures. Some of the best pictures I have are the ones he took of my first Marlin out of Mazatlan.

[traveler]

I'll second that idea!!