The East Cape: Capital Of Striped Marlin And Tuna On The Sea of Cortez   By: Dan Bacher August 15, 2005 More Articles by Dan

The fishing in the East Cape region of the Sea of Cortez, after getting off to a slow start this year, finally busted loose just in time for the Fish Sniffer trip to Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort on July 13-17.

On the week before our trip, the 310 fishermen in 90 boats caught 89 blue marlin, 32 sailfish, 31 dorado and 180 yellowfin tuna, 8 roosterfish, 1 shark, 38 snapper, 3 amberjack, 70 bonito, 7 cabrilla and 10 skipjack. The bite during our three days of fishing got even better, with yellowfin tuna to 75 pounds, striped marlin to 140 pounds and sailfish to 100 pounds providing anglers with exciting blue water sport.

The East Cape is notable for producing some of the best striped marlin action in the world, as well as world-class fishing for yellowfin tuna, dorado, pargo and other species. Fishing and life here proceeds at a much more relaxed pace than in bustling Cabo San Lucas at the tip of the Baja California Peninsula.

I had never been to the East Cape before and was very impressed by the hotel and the fishing. Constructed and founded by Jesus "Chuy" Valdez, the resort is now run by his sons Esaul, Axel and Felipe. Esaul manages the hotel and Axel manages the business operations, spending most of his time in their office in Chula Vista, California.

Fishing with me were Fish Sniffer staffers, Paul Kneeland and Sheldon Bright, and Fish Sniffer subscribers, Tom Davis and Ches Felmy of Sacramento and Brackin and Alisan Andrews of Menlo Park, California. After we arrived on a non-stop flight from Sacramento to Cabo San Lucas, a van picked us up at the Los Cabos Airport and brought us to the hotel in 45 minutes.

In spite of being located just miles above the Tropic of Cancer, the weather was mild, reaching into the mid-nineties, with a breeze off the Mar de Cortez making it very pleasant. The hotel was the most beautiful one I have ever stayed in, with statues, fountains and an array of tropical flowers and trees filling the carefully landscaped grounds around the hotel.

On the first day, we fished with Captain Chayo Cota in a cruiser. I was impressed by the cleanliness of the boat and by top-notch Shimano, Okuma and Penn rods and reels that he uses.

After we boarded the boat on the portable wooden dock that is loaded each day on the beach, Captain Chayo Cota and his deckhand, Miguel Ortiz, headed off towards the fishing grounds. About 9 miles offshore, Cota stopped the boat and asked his deckhand to toss out a bait after he saw a marlin's telltale dorsal fin emerging from the water. Although we didn't catch any fish at the first stop, we were able to hook a marlin on the next spot.

This was the first marlin I ever battled. The fish made a series of runs near the boat - and seemed to spend as much time out of the water as in it, making at least 20 leaps. The fish came in relatively fast - apparently having spent itself on its jumps.

"How big is it?" I asked the captain as I took a photo of the iridescent blue, white and silver fish.

"About 140 pounds," he replied as he released the fish back into the water. The resort strongly encourages the release of billfish, as the vast majority of sailfish and striped marlin during our stay were released. "Our hotel strongly believes in conserving our natural resources and supports the Worldwide Billfish Foundation and its catch-and-release program," according to Chuy Valdez.

In fact, 75% of the billfish are released to fight another day (more than 1300 the past year alone). Hotel Buenavista anglers who release fish receive a special patch, signifying their commitment to the program.

Brackin Andrews was the next angler to hook up, this time with a sailfish on live bait. Although smaller than the marlin, this fish put up an even better fight, taking about twice as long to get in as my big marlin.

Although we intended to release the sailfish, the fish's bill was unfortunately broken in the battle. "The fish won't survive with a broken bill," said Cota, "so we're going to have to keep it."

We didn't experience any more action on sailfish or marlin, so Captain Chayo decided to head to the tuna grounds about another 11 miles offshore.

When we arrived there, a large fleet of boats was fishing for tuna. Schools of porpoises were jumping into the air and with them tuna. Both Brackin and I hooked and landed tuna, both footballs in the 5 to 8 pound range.

While fishing for tuna, I hooked and landed my first-ever sailfish, an 80 pounder that we hooked on a Tuna Clone. This was an exciting day for me - although I have been down to Baja California many times, I had never focused on billfish until this day. This was the first time I had ever caught a sailfish or a marlin.

On day one, Kneeland, Bright, Davis and Felmy caught and released three marlin. Other anglers reported similarly good billfish and tuna action at the resort.

On day two, Kneeland, Bright and I fished with Captain Christian Cota and his deckhand, Sergio Israel. We landed a total of fish five, including 3 tuna to 30 pounds and 2 bonito, as well as losing two fish.

We asked our skipper to try for bottomfish. While fishing with cut mullet and caballito in shallow water off La Rivera, we landed some small cabrilla and one triggerfish. We released all of the fish except for the tasty triggerfish.

That day, Chase and Felmy had one of the most incredible days of the trip, concentrating on tuna. "We hooked a bunch of tuna, keeping 10 fish to 75 pounds," he noted. 'We also landed a 50 pound dorado and released one sailfish at the boat."

That day's fish count for the fleet was a total of 17 striped marlin caught - 16 of them released, 8 sailfish, all released, 1 dorado, 19 bonito and an amazing 111 yellowfin tuna, and 19 bonito.

On Saturday, Bright, Kneeland and I had our best day of tuna fishing, landing a total of six tuna, topped by Kneeland's 50 pound yellowfin. Both Bright and I caught and released marlin in the 80 pound class while fishing Captain Sergio Israel, who served as the deckhand the day before. I also lost a huge dorado - estimated to be around 50 pounds - while trolling a purple tuna clone.

Ken and Susan Anderson of San Antonio, Texas experienced the hottest fishing of the day, landing 17 tuna, 1 marlin and 1 dorado. "We had 3 fish on at a time," said Susan.

It's hard to believe, but fishing got even better the next day, the day of our plane flight back. Gary Leduc of San Jose and two fishing buddies had the trip of a lifetime, catching 26 fish while trolling blue and white and purple Hoochies in tuna boils. Their five biggest yellowfin weighed 45, 35, 35 and 30 pounds. "We were the only boat fishing this boil," he noted. "It was fantastic!"

Hotel Buenavista's experienced fishing fleet includes 22 boats, from 23-foot Super Pangas and 29-foot Phoenix Cruisers to a 31-foot cruiser. All are fully equipped with safety and fishing equipment and are manned by professional crews experienced in both conventional and fly-fishing.

The Fish Sniffer greatly thanks Okuma, Maxima America, Yozuri, Berkley and Abu Garcia for sponsoring the 2005 Hotel Buenavista trip. The participants received Okuma/Abu Garcia rod and reel combos, Maxima line, Yozuri saltwater hard baits and Berkley soft plastics.

For more information, contact: Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort & Spa, 2220 Otay Lakes Rd. #502, PMB #86, Chula Vista, CA 91915. Phone 1-800-752-3555 or (619) 429-8079 / Fax (619) 330-4539, Email: info@hotelbuenavista.com / Internet: www.hotelbuenavista.com

Fishing trips are also available out of Martin Verdugo's Beach Resort, PO Box 17, Los Barriles, BCS, Mexico, phone or fax: 01152-624-14-10054, www.verdugosbeachresort.com.

Hotel Buevavista Beach Resort Facts

Location: Nestled on a white, sandy beach on the East Cape located 70 miles southeast of La Paz, and 35 miles north of Los Cabos Airport off Highway #1, the luxurious Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort is situated on the East Cape along the Sea of Cortez, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Guests enjoy beautiful beaches, pristine natural mineral waters, excellent cuisine, eco-tourism tours and great sportfishing and diving. The resort's address is Km.105 Carretera Transpeninsular, Buenavista, Baja California Sur, Mexico

History: Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort began as a beachfront hacienda. It was originally built as the vacation retreat by Mexican General Agustín Olachea, two-time governor of Baja California Sur. In October 1976, Jesus "Chuy" Valdez, a young entrepreneur from La Paz with great dreams, leased this property. At that time, the East Cape was virtually undiscovered. The area's pristine beauty, world-class sport fishing, safe beaches and pure underground hot springs made it an ideal place for a resort. He named it Spa Buenavista and opened with 13 rooms. Valdez purchased the property in 1981 and began expanding the hotel to include 60 rooms, a fleet of 20 fishing boats, lushly landscaped grounds with pool, swim-up bar and world-class restaurant. In 1992 the resort's name was changed to Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort.

Accommodations: 60 Mediterranean style air-conditioned bungalows with sitting areas and private baths; private terrace with garden and/or pool-side views. Connecting rooms are available.

Manager: Sr. Esaul Valdez Martínez

Phone: (624) 141-0033, (624) 141-0166; Fax: (624) 141-0133

Amenities & Activities: Sportfishing Fleet on premises. Diving, snorkeling pool, Jacuzzis & tennis, Horseback Riding, Massage, wave runners & ATV tours are available.

Rates: Full American plan (Includes breakfast, lunch & dinner). Premium Rooms Single $120; Double $170, Triple $220, Standard Rooms Single $90, Double $140, Triple $190, per night plus tax and service charge, additional person $20.

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