Baja Fishing
Baja Mexico is one of my favorite places to fish. The desert landscape falling into the ocean teeming with life is a sight to behold. Unfortunately it does not have as much life as it once did thanks to both small and large scale commercial fishing efforts, but there are still fish to be had in Baja. Baja stretches more than a thousand miles and has coastline on both sides, so an entire book could be written about fishing it. Actually, an excellent book has been written about it; The Baja Catch by Gene Kira and Neil Kelly. If you really want to get serious about fishing in Baja, buy that book. In the meantime, below is a brief overview:
Baja Norte
Fishing in the northern part of Baja is much like fishing in Southern California, but with more fish. Near shore Yellowtail, White Seabass, Rockfish, Lingcod, California Halibut, Pacific Barracuda, Calico Bass, Sand Bass, and Bonito are all prevalent. The average size of these nearshore fish tends to be much bigger than in Southern California and they tend to be a lot easier to catch. At certain times of the year migratory pelagics such as Dorado, Yellowfin Tuna, and maybe even the occasional Striped Marlin can make a showing. Personally I don't even think about fishing until I get past Ensenada. Fishing there is more expensive and less productive than it is farther South, and I have had too many instances of bait and switch on boats and boats being poorly maintained and breaking down out on the water. Finally I just got fed up and focused on fishing in San Quintin, which in my view is much better and more productive although it is a little more of a drive. San Quintin has all of the species mentioned above in larger quantities than Ensenada. Summer tends to produce better fishing for most of them (especially the migratory ones which are just not there in winter) but you can always load up on Rockfish and Lingcod at any time. The White Seabass fishing in San Quintin can be outstanding when they are around. Two captains that provide excellent fishing in San Quintin are: Captain Juan Cook and Captain Kelly Catian. The can be found on the Baja board of http://www.bdoutdoors.com/.
As you get past San Quintin there start to be fewer and fewer people; most of the center of Baja has almost no people at all. There are some good spots here in the middle of nowhere, and chartering a boat tends to be very cheap. However, it is hard to reach these places unless you have your own small plane or like driving a lot.
Baja Sur
As you go farther south down the Baja coast the fishing changes significantly. The temperate species start to disappear and the warm water species become more prevalent. The climate also starts to feel tropical. Yellowtail are present along the whole coast, and they are joined by more and more warm water pelagics such as Dorado, Yellowfin Tuna, Striped Marlin, and Sailfish. To the East in the Sea of Cortez there are some good fisheries for Roosterfish, Snapper, and Grouper near shore. The Striped Marlin fishery is the highlight here, with boats in the East Cape area traditionally doing well in the late Spring and early Summer and the boats in Cabo doing well in the Fall, depending on when they decide to migrate. One place I like a lot that offers fishing for most species at some point in the year is Rancho Leonero in the East Cape. If you are on a budget this is a good option because all-inclusive lodging is inexpensive and large fish can often be reached in small and inexpensive pangas. As an added benefit, the Sea of Cortez tends to be much calmer than the Pacific. Cabo can get quite rough at times.
Click here for the Species Guides on how to catch these fish or click on a pic below to enlarge:
Baja Mexico is one of my favorite places to fish. The desert landscape falling into the ocean teeming with life is a sight to behold. Unfortunately it does not have as much life as it once did thanks to both small and large scale commercial fishing efforts, but there are still fish to be had in Baja. Baja stretches more than a thousand miles and has coastline on both sides, so an entire book could be written about fishing it. Actually, an excellent book has been written about it; The Baja Catch by Gene Kira and Neil Kelly. If you really want to get serious about fishing in Baja, buy that book. In the meantime, below is a brief overview:
Baja Norte
Fishing in the northern part of Baja is much like fishing in Southern California, but with more fish. Near shore Yellowtail, White Seabass, Rockfish, Lingcod, California Halibut, Pacific Barracuda, Calico Bass, Sand Bass, and Bonito are all prevalent. The average size of these nearshore fish tends to be much bigger than in Southern California and they tend to be a lot easier to catch. At certain times of the year migratory pelagics such as Dorado, Yellowfin Tuna, and maybe even the occasional Striped Marlin can make a showing. Personally I don't even think about fishing until I get past Ensenada. Fishing there is more expensive and less productive than it is farther South, and I have had too many instances of bait and switch on boats and boats being poorly maintained and breaking down out on the water. Finally I just got fed up and focused on fishing in San Quintin, which in my view is much better and more productive although it is a little more of a drive. San Quintin has all of the species mentioned above in larger quantities than Ensenada. Summer tends to produce better fishing for most of them (especially the migratory ones which are just not there in winter) but you can always load up on Rockfish and Lingcod at any time. The White Seabass fishing in San Quintin can be outstanding when they are around. Two captains that provide excellent fishing in San Quintin are: Captain Juan Cook and Captain Kelly Catian. The can be found on the Baja board of http://www.bdoutdoors.com/.
As you get past San Quintin there start to be fewer and fewer people; most of the center of Baja has almost no people at all. There are some good spots here in the middle of nowhere, and chartering a boat tends to be very cheap. However, it is hard to reach these places unless you have your own small plane or like driving a lot.
Baja Sur
As you go farther south down the Baja coast the fishing changes significantly. The temperate species start to disappear and the warm water species become more prevalent. The climate also starts to feel tropical. Yellowtail are present along the whole coast, and they are joined by more and more warm water pelagics such as Dorado, Yellowfin Tuna, Striped Marlin, and Sailfish. To the East in the Sea of Cortez there are some good fisheries for Roosterfish, Snapper, and Grouper near shore. The Striped Marlin fishery is the highlight here, with boats in the East Cape area traditionally doing well in the late Spring and early Summer and the boats in Cabo doing well in the Fall, depending on when they decide to migrate. One place I like a lot that offers fishing for most species at some point in the year is Rancho Leonero in the East Cape. If you are on a budget this is a good option because all-inclusive lodging is inexpensive and large fish can often be reached in small and inexpensive pangas. As an added benefit, the Sea of Cortez tends to be much calmer than the Pacific. Cabo can get quite rough at times.
Click here for the Species Guides on how to catch these fish or click on a pic below to enlarge:
