Fishing with Baja magic

Fishing Baja 

Imagine waking up just before dawn, donning a pair of shorts and sneaking out onto a hotel veranda. You have been here for three days now and have grown to love this stolen five minutes before the other guests wake up and the air is warm and still. In front of you, the sea of Cortez is almost flat calm, a gentle surf lapping against a sand beach that stretches as far as the eye can see. The sun is almost up, a huge ball of fire that paints the horizon in a wash of pink and orange to herald its daily arrival. Out in the bay, the unmistakable shape of a white big-game fishing boat chugs into view, the sound of its engines audible over the chirruping of the crickets - your boat. Today, you are going marlin fishing… 

From Cabo St Lucas all the way through the East Cape, the Baja peninsula offers some of the finest blue water fishing in the world. The peninsula divides the comparatively turbulent waters of the pacific on one side from the more sheltered ‘Sea of Cortez,’ creating a haven for many species of pelagic game fish. 

Having fished for marlin on several occasions prior to my visit to Baja, my expectations on arriving at Punta Colorado were those of the battle-hardened war veteran who accepts his fate with barely a shrug of the shoulders. Until that fateful visit, marlin fishing for me had always consisted of several days trolling around in baking hot temperatures in the vague hope that one or two marlin might be raised. 

Baja, though, as I discovered, is different. On the very first day, while fishing from a super-panga we had six strikes from striped marlin and sailfish and then ran out of bait. Day two saw us taking eight live baits out to the billfish grounds and returning home after experiencing eight strikes, including two from blue marlin . Day three and we were up to ten baits and yes, we got ten strikes, catching sailfish, blue marlin, striped marlin and a bull dorado weighing over fifty pounds! This was bill fishing of the highest order, made even more memorable by the fact that it was all stand-up stuff. Yellowfin tuna were also present in large numbers and although we didn’t fish for them, I saw plenty of other boats hooked up to beefy fish weighing a hundred pounds or more. 

Most of the marlin in Baja are striped marlin weighing between 130 and 180 pounds but there are blue and black marlin too and with these fish the average weights are much, much higher. But the main point about Baja is that billfish are plentiful. My biggest regret while fishing in Baja is not having enjoyed the opportunity to target the giant roosterfish that the peninsula is famous for. I would love to catch one of these turbo-charged, zebra-striped members of the jack family and next time I visit I will try to ensure that the fish the Mexicans call ’pez gallo’ is in town. 

If all of this sounds too good to be true - dream on! Never before have I witnessed such spectacular blue-water fishing or seen so many free-jumping, free-swimming and hooked-up marlin as I did on my trip to Baja. In addition, the best news of all is that compared to many other blue water destinations, Baja is cheap! If I close my eyes, I can see those orange and pink skies, smell the surf and hear the thud of those engines in the distance… 

Do not dream any longer for Angling Direct Holidays the UK largest supplier and tour operator have a wide range of destinations to Mexico big game fishing to suit all budgets. Why not give them a call on 01603 407596 or check out their website at www.AnglingDirectHolidays.com