East Cape -
The cows have come home
As winters
go so far this has been a very mild one.
We have had our share of windy days but the air temperature has remained
comfortable. I can remember many years
where I didn't want to get out of bed in the morning and put my bare feet on
our freezing tile floor or peel my Ugg boots off until 10 in the morning. There has been none of that so far this
year. Typically November through
February are our tough weather months so the way I see it we are half way out
of the woods.
Prospects
for 2017 are incredibly bright. After
fishing being a bit off the last three years all signs are that the tide is
going to turn.
Early
October reports were that Mag Bay was starting to go off. It appeared that gamefish that migrated north
through the years of El Nino conditions were heading south. Mag also experienced 3 tough years and now is
still going off like the years before the severe El Nino.
In November
the Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot was more evidence of good things to come when more
cow tuna were weighed than any previous tournament.
The day
before Christmas I arranged a charter for a family staying in our guest
house. Seems a bit strange for me to
hire an outside boat but this time of year we just don't fight the elements. Anyhow, they scored 4 dorado, 2 tuna,
released a striped marlin and also 2 sailfish.
Pretty incredible for December 24th.
It is starting to look like the Sea of Cortez I know.
On December
26th several boats in Cabo San Lucas encountered yellowfin in the Pacific and
several cow tuna between 200 and 300 lbs plus were landed.
After a
couple of the best fishing years in recorded history for Southern California it
looks like those lights are starting to dim, game fish are heading south and
returning home. Yes, the cows have come
home and 2017 is going to be a barn burner.
It can't all
be good though. Here's a little Mexican
economics 101.
In 2015 fuel
prices raised dramatically. Fuel is a
government monopoly and prices are controlled by them. At the beginning of 2016 the government vowed
to stabilize the price. For the most
part they did and we only experienced a few small bumps. During all of this time the Mexican peso
continually went south and has suffered a large devaluation. For example, at
the beginning of this year with the exchange a one day fishing license was
about fifteen bucks. Today that same
license converts to under ten dollars.
With the
devaluation of the peso and stabilization of fuel costs we have been able to
maintain the same price for our charters for the last two years. Now, the good Mexican government has
announced a 20% increase in the price of fuel.
When fuel goes up it is certain everything will follow. Please don't get the impression I am
complaining. The cost of living in Baja
is still much lower than most places north of the border. Visiting Baja is still a bargain for anglers
but the moral of this story is we will have to raise prices for 2017.
2016 at a
glance - with some of our great pics
Author: Mark Raynor, Team Jen Wren