6) Fish the grounds for 5 to 6 hours and return home. Or, at least those lucky enough to find us and have the opportunity to enjoy Magdalena Bay fishing and all the beauty it has to offer. Marco and others are finding a way to make both experiences happen safely and symbiotically. Most of the striped marlin are between 80 and 125 pounds; rarely will you see one surpassing 150 pounds, making them perfect fish for light tackle or the fly rod. It is not an easy sport by nature, and when you add an environment that is full of opportunity, yet as challenging as the sport itself, then flyfishing goes beyond sport and into crazy worlds where fish light up, cannon balls get lodged into rocks, and anglers can feel their heart and hands charge with anticipation. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. All National Parks & Biosphere Reserve access fees required by itinerary. You can leave out of Lopez Mateos or San Carlos depending who you fish with. Not much, that is, aside from an annual explosion of sardines that attracts mobs of striped marlin, piles of wahoo . The diving is great! Speaks great English and got us some (9) wahoo last September. Or, you could be left shaking your head at the fish-filled mayhem that can turn on at any moment. Each morning, we would meet the guide and run across the bay in the panga, where we then met a boat trailer ferry to take us over land and across the peninsula to the Pacific, which saved us hours of running time. Some of the thousands of fishing pelicans. This day tour is the ultimate whale watching experience in Cabo San Lucas - you will likely have the opportunity to see gray whales and their calves up close and personal in calm, shallow water, and the opportunity to pet the whales is not uncommon. Bright blue silence. Thirty minutes later and its the post-release chatter, all high fives, and back slaps. With such a vast area, and countless species, time typically becomes a limiting factor more so than lack of fish. twin 500 hp john deere turbo diesel. The other deal is bookable online and is still available when we check. I grabbed it, pushed off from the panga and pedaled hard as I free-spooled away from my lively 7-inch mackerel. The Finger Bank is so named because of three areas where the bottom rises from 3,000 feet to around 300; on the charts, they look like fingers. During the calving season, the gray whales migrate to the Baja waters, and so do humans. Yet wed never read or heard any mention of golden trevally in Mag Bay until Nick held one in his hands. Best time to visit. As I get closer, the bluewater world comes into focus. Over summer 2021, weve caught a whole lot of, Well, we have delayed our Mag Bay fishing reports once again, and for that we apologize. Sunglasses. The Lodge at Mag Bay offers a truly extraordinary experience. What I like most about mag bay in general is the seclusion and peace. One time the marlin had moved on and we floated with six sea lions and what was left of the bait ball for probably 15 minuteswhen a new batch of marlin suddenly appeared and everything started anew. 60'x17' 1,250 gallon fuel capacity. The area has numerous small commercial fishing villages where the expertise and fishing knowledge is passed down in families. Landing this exotic and surprising prize opened our imaginations. The fish at Mag Bay are also well-fed, but the lack of boat harassment and sheer numbers of marlin make it an exceptional destination, especially for fly fishing. The inside protected mangrove channels provide critical nursery habitat for a wide variety of species including: snook, corvine, bonefish, spotted bass, pargo, snappers, golden trevalle, broomtail grouper, sierra, Cortez halibut, leather jacks, as well as roosterfish. Captain Aldo pulls me up easily, while Captain Ricardo nods and smiles knowingly. On one dive, there were five snorkelers in a semi-circle and a family of sea lions swimming opposite from us. It feels like the curiosity is mutual. What to target, and where, within the greater Mag Bay system, are decisions that might leave anglers second-guessing over a vast expanse of quiet water. For a fly angler, there is great appeal in the unknown. In 2018, Smith and Shafer spent 12 days in Mag Bay, releasing 317 striped marlin on fly. Magdalena Bay - SLC magbaylures.com Name Toby Boat Name 36' ProKat Aug 31, 2018 #11 . The Blue Water fishery is the stuff of legends, the heart of which is an area known as the Ridge. These boats have to be self-sufficient and will spend their evenings anchored down at one of the three acceptable anchorages. Promnitz, Hobies director of fishing development, managed four releases (helped by strong arms and 100-pound braid). Fishing far offshore might take longer, particularly with a stiff headwind chop. Often there will be a half-dozen boats circling one bait ball. For two days we take turns fishing this bite and entering the marlins underwater world. Panga 23 Recreational Pleasure Refined Polished inner liner Under $17,000.00 + engine, includes global shipping. I was traveling with retired Marine Col. Hunter Ledbetter who had a friend named Jim Korchinski who owned a charter boat in Cabo. Panga (Boat) Price: $595 for the whole day, price will include up to 6 adults. Smith has released more than 5,000 billfish on fly in his career. A 50% deposit is requested on all open party trips. Guides here are well versed in spin and baitfishing, but not so much with flyfishing. 3. Flyfishers will come to have a deep love and appreciation for Magdalena Bay, but not for the reasons we normally expect from a fishery. calm waterways of a . The marlin pulled me through and over large bait balls, with frigate birds wheeling just overhead. Camera (get ready for some superb images!) 3 Full Days of Fishing. Your staff could not have been nicer, the fishing was insane, and the captains were amazing. They werent lit up and there wasnt any bait in sight, they were just following the ones that were actively feeding. Or normally out of the bay? Known locally as The Whale King, Mendoza is a pioneer of whale watching and sport fishing on the bay. In other circumstances, I might have thought it was a good time to return to the panga, but I was having such a blast and had gotten so used to climbing up the swells and skating back down that I hardly gave the conditions a second thought. Magdalena Bay Previous Entry. Baja Flyfishing Co is excited to offer Lopez Mateos/Magdelena Bay as one of our destinations, providing access to several hundred miles of mangrove channels, pristine beaches and the fabled Thetis Banks. I took it all in from a little plastic boat that weighs considerably less than I do, while rushing over the surface with no evident means of propulsion. Waterbottle. CABO PANGA FISHING--This tasty wahoo-dorado combo came aboard the Cabo San Lucas charter panga Cheer's for anglers Renee Shattuck and Miguel Hernandez, on a day that also produced 11 more dorado and a sailfish with Capt. Even with the detailed maps, finding the entrance to the channel he described was difficult. What was the point? he said. Call us today for more information or to book your trip (619)483-7315. The ridge consist of a long range of mountains with many peaks coming up to 100 ft or so. The whales might even let you pat their backs if you seem friendly. Explore Isla Magdalena Surfing SUP Fishing Kayaking Snorkeling Spear Fishing Hiking Beach Combing Clam Digging . . Around 12:00 noon we arrive in the small fishing town of Lopez Mateos, check-in to the hotel and get ready for an afternoon of whale . This same apex bait-crashing behavior also happens within the bay and rivers, when snook and their fellow predators are on the bite. different, you still keep your existing reservation including the cancellation policy. Enjoying a succulent lunch in a . 2. This lodge and operation is nothing short of amazing. Our packages will include: Roundtrip professional ground transfers from and to the Loreto airport; The best accommodations in San Carlos; Breakfast and panga lunches; 4 days of panga fishing (3-4 per . The best fishing offshore is Aug through December, inshore . I could hear shouting across the waves, as other kayak anglers, rods bent over hard, were pulled in various directions. This trip was a trip of a lifetime. (8 with children) maximum. He and his crew load two kayaks aboard each panga and head for a destination determined by anglers' goals, the season and the morning's . 1). The inshore waters that lay just beyond the barrier islands team with sierras, roosterfish, corvina, cortez halibut, pargo, grouper, yellow tail, skip jack, dorado, yellowfin tuna and wahoo. . This spectacle varies from year-to-year but can often reach truly amazing proportions in October and November when the volume of baitfish appears, attracting large schools of billfish - mostly striped marlin - but additional . I even caught one on a Penn Senator 113. For more details on trip rules, cancellation and travel insurance visit our, Roundtrip professional ground transfers from and to the Loreto airport. As mentioned, the main predators of the sardine include the Striped Marlin, sea lions and occasionally whales, which work as a team to corner and push the bait balls to the surface from the depth of the sea, a situation that takes advantage of the earwigs, pelicans and seagulls that attack from outside by launching themselves like rockets on sardines as part of the food chain. If even one of the four people in this panga had ever flyfished for marlin before, I would feel better. In short, a Puerto Vallarta fishing adventure is what angling dreams are made . The kayakers were brought offshore on pangas but fought the fish on their own. The plan was to run up beyond the feeding marlin and cast a live bait into the fray. "Get in! 30 kw generator. From there we start the 6 hour drive up north to Magdalena Bay, during which we pass through Todos Santos, La Paz and Constitucion. We hopped out and lifted the bow while the driver pulled the truck away, unhooked the trailer and soon arrived with another old trailer. It lasted for several hours, then suddenly everything stopped. Larocque, the owner, uses 26-foot pangas as mother ships to transport kayaks, anglers and gear within and outside the bay. 7 hrs whale watching and more. We watch a reel getting emptied and watch the fish leap, flip, and dive. A support team helps shuttle kayaks and anglers to the action surrounding Mag Bay. following conditions are met: According to customer reviews, some of the most popular fishing charters in Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur are: 2023 FishingBooker.com. MagBay lodge offers pickups, taxis from loreto, or car rentals are all options. Drake Magazine Back Issue Content: 2009 Recession Fish Birth of a Fly Tyer Winter Reds Arizona Bass Night Stripers Stoneflies and a Girlfriends guide to Flyfishing. The bait moves as the marlin and occasional sea lion push it forward. The waters are teeming with fascinating marine life, and the Baja peninsula is primarily known as a fishing paradise. $0 - $400 $400 - $600 $600 - $800 $800+ Magdalena Bay: 7 fishing charters available . We anchored in Man Of War Cove. Thanks guys! Brian J. Cantwell. 4 People Minimum, 2 pangas (2 per panga) 7 nights 5 days fishing; After catching and mostly releasing many tuna, I dropped slow-pitch jigs during the afternoon in 200 or so feet to catch Pacific red snapper, gulf grouper and various small reef fish.