That's My Story

BOOKING YOUR BAJA TRIP – Published April 2005 – FEATURE ARTICLE WESTERN OUTDOORS MAGAZINE

So, you’ve decided to finally step over the line! After hearing all the stories and reading all the literature, you’ve finally convinced yourself to come over to the “other side”…the other side of the border, that is. You’re finally going to plan that Baja trip you’ve promised yourself for ages.

It’s not that hard, but maybe wading through all the information has you confused. You see all the ads in WON. Maybe you’ve been to the fishing shows. Bob from work always books with a certain fleet. Your brother-in-law, Ed, always takes a group of guys each year and uses his favorite operation. You read on an internet board about some operation you want to stay away from. Should you bring your family? (Or not!) You want to catch tuna, but not marlin. You want to fish for those wiley pargo and yellowtail and a roosterfish certainly looks nice. Do you need a cruiser? What’s up with a panga? You heard those were fun. You want a nice place to stay, but you sure don’t want a place that will set you back a month’s mortgage either. And what about when you’re not fishing? Can you SCUBA dive or ride an ATV? Is there shopping? Nightlife? Peace and quiet? Questions…questions…questions…

One of the nice things about booking these days is the amount of information that’s available. Bookstores, magazines, the internet and scores of other sources have just about anything you could want. Baja is one of those places that never lacks for some scribe willing to put pen to paper and write about it. But the other side of the coin is that there’s simply too much information. There must be a way to simplify things.

For the first timer, or even someone who wants to try a new place in Baja, I’d ask yourself several questions

What dates or time of year am I looking at and how flexible am I on dates?
What do you want to catch?
What type of fishing am I interested in doing (Stand up? Trolling? Flyfishing? Kayak? Light tackle? Etc.)
What is my group like? (Solo? Fishing buddy? Significant other? Family?)
What are the interests of my group (Only fishing? Vacation with some fishing? Hardcore? Shopping? Other watersports? Willing to rough it a bit?)
How important is it to be near town?

If you start with at least this “core” of answers you can approach your prospective
agent or fleet or hotel with some concrete requirement so they can best help you with some solutions. As someone who does this for a living, there’s nothing like getting a 5 page e-mail from someone who wants to do everything and has no other ideas beyond that. It takes awhile to narrow it all down.

Once you have a pretty good idea about that jumping-off point, you need to look at getting someone to set it up for you. Of course, you can do it yourself. That is always an option. But then, you might be back at square one? Are you going to call up all 50 different fleets and hotels? Are you going to surf the web well into the dawn reading and comparing websites or checking online for the best plane flights? Factor that into your decision.

You can always call someone who can take care of all or at least the majority of the bookings. Time is money. This is where you need to do a little talking or checking. Who have your buddies used? Which ads do you constantly see in your favorite publications? Who is always at the trade shows or who’s names constantly keep coming up? Who keeps posting the fishing reports? Frankly, word-of-mouth is the best referral in my book. See who others recommend and why. If someone has been around for awhile, that’s usually a good sign. The travel biz is competitive and quirky. Folks come and go, but the good operations have staying power

Get that information then contact those folks. Ask questions. Get a feel for the operation. Do they respond quickly? Are they helpful? What does the price include so that you’re not surprised at the end by finding out you that lunches or bait or transfers are not included. Some operations charge tax and gratuity and include it in your price so make sure that the price they quote is the price you’re going to pay. Additionally, if you answered the questions that I told you about at the beginning of this article, then you’ll have a good basis of questions to ask the operator. Make sure they are the right person for what you want. . You might want to ask if the person you talk to really knows his or her stuff. There are a lot of “agents” out there who do a good job. There are others out there who are merely wholesalers and sit in their offices all day and couldn’t tell you whether tuna bite in June or December. They are reading off a brochure and don’t know if the lobster in one hotel is better than another or if there are kid-friendly facilities available. I know quite a few who have never even visited the cities they supposedly represent or the fishing operations they book for. Try to talk to someone who knows their gig. See if they offer options (choices of hotels, choices of fishing styles, other activities, etc. ) This will help avoid an operator who is only in the pocket of one vendor/fleet, etc. and will give you, the consumer more options on your vacation.

Here’s a few things I would never do when booking a trip:

· Do not wait until the last minute to book your trips. Good rooms and skippers get booked early. The guy or room you get may be great, but could also be the last guy on the beach or the room no one else wants. Airline tickets could also be higher for the last-minute booking

· Do not book your trip from guys on the beach or marina. I run into so many folks who just say, “I’ll find someone down on the beach to fish with.” There are certainly some good independents working the beaches and wharfs, but there are also some bad ones too. How do you know which are which? Who is going to take you for a ride? I’ve run into some good guys and I’ve gotten other guys who never showed up the next day or the boat they showed me the day before was not the boat that showed up on the beach.

· Do not fish for fish that are not there. Don’t get mad if you tell a skipper or crew you want to fish for marlin and marlin are just not there. Anything can happen in the Sea of Cortez and probably will, but your chances of finding a marlin in San Felipe; a dorado in December in San Quintin; a roosterfish in Cabo San Lucas in January or tuna off the rocks in Loreto are slim. Fish for what’s there.

· Do not ever give cash to someone you meet on the docks or beaches for a fishing trip the next day and certainly not anyone you meet in a bar. If they say they need money for gas, then maybe you can give him some money, but if they need gas, then it might be best to find someone who already has gas in their boat. This does not apply to reputable operators who have things all set up, but is geared towards guys you might meet in a bar or on the beach called “coyotes” by those of us who have established operations. Some are good, but others will take your money and never show up the next day.

This is your vacation and you don’t want any surprises especially in a place where you don’t understand the language. Price is important, but it is not the only criterion for booking or not booking with a certain operation. Remember, there are bargains out there, but you really do get what you pay for and nothing is really free. A good trip is not cheap and a cheap trip is not good. As with any major purchase you make, don’t break the bank, but get the best you can afford.

Just remember that the operator can’t make fish jump in the boat or affect the weather, but by the same token, they should be giving you the best opportunity to catch fish and/or give you the accommodations or amenities that you want for your trip.