That's My Story

WHERE AND WHEN TO FISH – Published Sept. 2005 – Western Outdoor Magazine – Baja Backbeat

“I have 4 guys and we need to book a boat for 3 days,” is how it usually starts on the phone.

“OK, that’s great!” I’ll reply. “Tell me when you want to come down and what you want to catch so that I can figure out what’s best for you and the guys.”

“Well, this is our first time in Mexico so we want to catch tuna, marlin, wahoo, roosterfish and yellowtail. And we’re coming Christmas week and we want to fish in Cabo San Lucas and Loreto.”

That’s just about the time there’s silence on my side of the phone. At that point, I know it’s going to take a bit of explaining.

Half the project of having a successful fishing trip in the Baja is doing a bit of research. It’s as important or even more important than the type of rods, reels and lures you plan to bring down. Baja and it’s surrounding waters were called the “aquarium of the world” by Jacques Cousteau and it remains one of the premier fishing destinations in the world. But it helps to know where you’re going and what’s going to be biting when you arrive. As good as it can be, it’s still “fishing” and you can be setting yourself up for disappointment if your catch does not match your expectations.

“I’ve been working for various fleets for years,” said one fleet manager. “I do fishing trade shows all over the United States. I cannot begin to tell you how many people come up to me and tell me that they came to Baja and it was terrible fishing and so overrated. Then, I find out they came down in January expecting to catch dorado or marlin. Or they complained because it was so windy and rough. That would be like me going to the Rocky Mountains and complaining because I couldn’t snow ski in July!”

A LITTLE RESEARCH GOES A LONG WAY

There are more than 700 species of known fish in Baja waters of which several dozen could be classified as gamefish of one type or another. These range from inshore structure fish like cabrilla, snapper and pargo to beach fish such as roosterfish and other jacks up into the “glamour” blue water species such as marlin, sailfish, tuna, wahoo, marlin and dorado, among others.

No matter what you see in all the fishing magazines and glossy brochures touting the fishing, read the fine print or the fish charts that may or may not be attached. Just because the Sea of Cortez is loaded with fish, that doesn’t mean that all the occupants are around all the time. Some species only come into shallow waters at certain types of the year. Others are only found in certain places, for example, beaches. vs. rocky areas. Some are migratory and follow certain patterns through certain areas. Marlin would be a good example. Others follow the bait and water temperatures, like dorado.

For instance, all the folks who come to Cabo San Lucas during the Christmas holidays looking for the marlin they saw on their hotel brochures might catch one of the migratory stripers coming through the area moving around the Cape from Bahia Magdalena up into the Sea of Cortez, but their chances of catching one or certainly diminished compared so say, fishing in the summer or fall months. By the same token, big waters from the Pacific, can make fishing hard and rough. It didn’t say that in the travel brochures and the travel agent back in Portland sure didn’t know anything about the fishing either. Talk to a knowledgeable person.

KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO CATCH

Along those same lines, there are so many other species that are seasonal and no matter how good your boat captain is, he can’t wave a magic wand over the waters to make tuna appear off San Quintin in March; dorado in Loreto in February; or sailfish during the windy winter months of the East Cape. That’s not to say it CAN’T happen or it will NEVER happen, but the odds are against you and with fishing, you always want to max your chances.

In the first example of the conversation at the beginning of this article, yellowtail are normally a cooler water fish with winter and spring being better with the best results being areas like Loreto, Mulege, Santa Rosalia or Bahia de Los Angeles in and around the rocky areas. The other species, like tuna and billfish are best chased in more open water and in the warmer waters of the late spring, summer and fall. Roosterfish are a spring and summer catch and done snug up against the beaches. Wahoo are also a bluewater fish, but prime times seem to be in the spring and fall.

KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING

It can be as simple as looking at a map. For instance, if you know that Cabo San Lucas and Loreto are 7 hours drive away, it’s going to be a logistically difficult to fish those places in the same day. Baja is a thousand-mile-long-peninsula with more than two thousand miles of coastline bordering the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean. There as many weather, current, and species differences as well as manners of fishing as there are between say, San Diego CA and Seattle WA. Also, fishing in the Pacific will be different from fishing in the Sea of Cortez.

Along those same lines, your chances of catching a marlin are pretty slim way up the Sea of Cortez in some place like Puertocitos or San Felipe. The fish just don’t go up that far and no matter what you do or who you book with, the likelihood of a marlin appearing on the end of your line are about as good as the tooth fairy bringing you that bike you always wanted. Similarly, “summer” fishing in a location such as Castro’s Camp or Ensenada on the northern Pacific side of Baja is not the same as “summer” fishing out of Los Barriles on the East Cape. These two areas are separated by two oceans and 800 miles of Baja Peninsula.

A QUICK THUMBNAIL

There’s no way to do a complete and exact schedule for fishing in Baja. In addition to the variables of weather, wind, climate and tides, frankly fish just don’t keep regular hours or times or punch a clock. However, in brief, here’s some generalities about fishing times in the waters of Baja:

WINTER – On both the Pacific and Sea of Cortez, winds can howl. You can get two days of calm and 4 days of wind and vice versa. Chop and swell can be a problem in areas that are not protected. Big waters can be found around the tip at Cabo and San Jose del Cabo which face the open ocean. Waters are cooler for obvious reasons.

Because of the cooler waters and sometimes uncomfortable conditions, inshore fishing is best during these months. On the Pacific side, rockfishing for reds, ling cod, and other bottom fish can be outstanding in northern Baja. On the Sea of Cortez side, cabrilla and other bass-type rock fish are the main quarry. As you move further south along both flanks of the Baja, expect to see a bit more variety. Some pargo might show. Some early roosters as well as sierra mackerel especially as you move further south. Loreto, Mulege, San Rosalia, the Midriffs and Bay of L.A. could start getting their first runs of yellowtail At the Cape, early season striped marlin have begun moving from Mag Bay around and into the Sea of Cortez.

SPRING – As waters warm, winds start to diminish making for more pleasant days on the water. The warmer the waters, the more pelagic species start showing up. In northern Baja, bonito, barracuda and maybe early yellowtail begin popping up on the Pacific. The yellowtail bite gets better from the around the central Baja coast on the Sea of Cortez side. More species begin showing up as you go further south and water temps rise. Roosterfish beging showing along the beaches.Other members of the jack family including pompano, amberjack, jack crevalle, and yellowtail are more predominant in the counts. Bigger schools of snapper and pargo including dog tooth snapper, mullet snapper and others are along the shores. Sometimes tuna make their appearance in the fall if water and bait conditions are right for the southern parts of Baja. Striped marlin and possibly sailfish begin showing up in the counts. Look for some wahoo around La Paz, East Cape and Cabo.

SUMMER – Baja comes alive. In the northern Pacific side of Baja, kelp paddies bring yellowtail as well as schools of albacore, yellowfin and bluefin tuna to the high spots. Occasionally dorado also make a show following warm currents into lower California waters. Dorado and sailfish are prime time for Santa Rosalia to Cabo San Lucas. More marlin including the big blue and black marlin are in the southern areas. Schooling tuna can be found along the entire southern part of Baja if conditions are right.

THE FALL – Sometimes this is the best fishing in the Baja. Waters stay warm although air temperatures might cool down a bit and many of the summer crowds are gone. In the southern Baja, there’s a reason so many of the largest marlin and tuna tournaments in the world are held around Cabo San Lucas, including WON’s own tuna tournament. It’s where the fish are. All the glamour species can be caught in the fall, especially before the winter winds come up. This includes, marlin, sailfish, tuna, dorado, and wahoo. This pattern continues all the way up the Sea of Cortez in varying degrees, but some truly outstanding fishing can be had. On the Pacific side from Cabo up to San Diego, the high spots, ridges and banks can be some of the most prolific tuna and wahoo waters on the planet. Areas outside Bahia Magdalena such as the Thetis Bank and the ridges that run up towards Benitos and Cedros Island can hold some of the best fishing in the world during the fall.