THE ARIES SPORTFISHING FLEET
An excellent showing of dorado this past week for the Mazatlan sportfishing fleet, along with an upward trend for billfish. With any luck at all, this will be the week of "turning the corner" for the Mazatlan boats as the dorado move onto the buoys (fads) for the season and the catching moves into the late spring early summer fishing mode. Overall combined fish reports for 23 days fished reflected 10 stripers, 2 sailfish, 9 mako sharks, 8 skipjack tuna and 121 dorado. What a dramatic change this past week has made with the offshore fishing results and overall successes for the anglers. The inshore acttion remained very good this past week, too, and reflected 85 pargo, 8 dorado, 18 Sierra, 8 cochitos, 115 Roncachos and limits of mojarres for 6 inshore fishing days.

Mazatlan Climate: Partly cloudy days with temps from 60 nights to 85 daytime highs.

Sea Conditions: Some light northerly breezes, (7-8 knots) and overall, fairly calm seas, with temps that ranged from 75 inshore to 78 offshore. Water held a greenish tint to it to about 15 miles, then blued up nicely.

Best Fishing Area: Most of the billfish being taken in the offshore waters at about 22-25 miles to the southwest of the Marina El Cid. The dorado bite has been at the buoys.

Best Bait/Lure: Billfish were active on the rigged mullet, slow- trolled from the outriggers. The dorado action was on a variety of artificials, strip baits and live bait. Inshore catches were mostly on shrimp heads and squid (calamari).