Marco and others are finding a way to make both experiences happen safely and symbiotically. Mostly they are out on the Ridge. 10:30-12:30 PM Tour. Its a place for the most curious and adventurous people to be at. La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico. Like most destination fisheries, there are a range of optionsfrom dirtbagging yourself down there and putting your money toward boats and guides, to going with all-inclusive, airport-to-airport services. 27' SPORT PANGA . It feels like the curiosity is mutual. Most of the sport-fishing boats that hit Mag Bay come from Cabo and run the 170 or so nautical miles north. Magdalena Bay and Lopez Mateos - Baja Flyfishing Company Get Up Close With Wildlife in Mexico's Magdalena Bay - Travel Magdalena Bay. Within a couple of minutes of hopping into the kayak, a savage strike had ripped line from the spool. Guests chose between local panga rides to the mouth of the bay in search of whales or to a mangrove surrounding a local oyster farm. I imagine that the upwellings push the bait to the surface and thus the marlin follow close behind. Bring in 5 Wahoo, a few tuna and dorado and head home for a Wahoo Ceviche dinner! You have contacted us immediately after booking with all the details of the other deal With options to fish in the Bay, inshore and offshore, you'll be sure to have an amazing time fishing Mag bay. $1000 for a Cape Horn 27 and $1,750 for a Pro Cat 37. If youre lucky, you might even get your hands on some Spotted Bass, Dog Tooth Snapper, Halibut, Snook, Corniva, and Grouper. All National Parks & Biosphere Reserve access fees required by itinerary. Outfitting on Mag Bay has increased over the years, and the business of guiding flyfishers seems to be on the upswing. Or normally out of the bay? Mag Bay also has some of the finest lodges, yacht charters, and tourism infrastructure in the country. A barbless hook also will usually fall out within a few hours. Dinners are not included as there are now more options to eat in town. You can select from a day tour (US$450 per boat for five hours of whale . We hefted the bow to accommodate the new trailer he backed down, and soon we were again in the water, on the inside, headed back to the lodge under the rising full moon. Magdalena Bay Whales (Puerto San Carlos) - Tripadvisor Captain Frankie to make sure we catch as much fish as you can. Next season there will be a fleet of 25-35 Boston Whalers and perfect American built accommodations available in MagBay. The grounds we fish at are completely loaded with Wahoo, Dorado, Tuna . For angler seeking some of the best fishing left on the planet and that appreciate remote and wild locations, this is your place. Magdalena Bay is a large (1,200 km) and highly productive coastal bay located between 2415' N and 2520' N, and 11130' W, and 11215' W in B. C. S. (Fig. The road trip takes a few hours from the airports at La Paz, San Jose del Cabo, or Loreto. The next morning, we ran 55 miles south in Enrique's panga to the estero that I believed to be Hoctor's spot. 7) 3 days offshore one day inshore. Smith has released more than 5,000 billfish on fly in his career. The Lodge at Mag Bay offers a truly extraordinary experience. Check with locals or hire one of the guides on the bay to take you to the current hot spot or species. Difficult as this adventure might seem, you can catch more striped marlin in a week here than you can in a half-dozen seasons in Southern California. But it is also the common name of the greater environment that surrounds it, including a series of massive barrier islands with their own bays and an active offshore ecosystem. Striped marlin gather in great numbers off Magdalena Bay during the fall and early winter, but its remote location, cutting deep into the mostly uninhabited Pacific side of the central Baja coast, keeps fishing pressure minimal. Professional naturalist and bi-lingual guides. We have in-shore mangrove fishing and off-shore, deep-sea pelagic fishing in the Pacific. . The area erupts with outstanding action in 2019. Call or email us for pricing on other customized options. Mag Bay Marvel - InTheBite Eventually, the marlin would tire of the diver/sea lion combination and leave the area. modifications. Copyright 2023 Marlin Magazine. The cold waters of the California Current and the warm waters of the Donaldson meet over this structure, trapping massive amounts of plankton and krill against the structure that forms the Ridge. All meals and beverages as indicated on the itinerary. The excellent fishing also continued inside the bay for . By Robert Reid. Get the Most Wahoo Possible in One Fishing Trip Anywhere from 40 to 120 miles depending on where you leave from and what part you travel too. The Fishery: There are three separate fisheries accessible from the small Pueblo of Adolfo Lopez Mateos. LOCATED IN SMALL FISHING VILLAGE OF LOPEZ MATEOS AND LORETO 760-908-BAJA Bob's cell . Mag Bay is almost the same size as San Francisco Bay. ACTIVITIES - MagBay Experiences The ridges, peaks, banks, and underwater structure outside of Magdalena Bay offer some of the richest fishing grounds in the world. The result is a living, moving ball of fish, with marlin and often sea lions in pursuit. Captain Aldo Atonto tells us the fish will be up within the hour. My imagination is already running full speed when I look across the river and cant believe what I see. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Seven Store 2015-2017. This luxury fishing yacht charter with a personal chef onboard cooking meals and 2 deckhands working alongside. Published August 28, 2017. A support team helps shuttle kayaks and anglers to the action surrounding Mag Bay. Difficult as this adventure might seem, you can catch more striped marlin in a week here than you can in a half-dozen seasons in Southern California. 7 hrs whale watching and more. The waters are teeming with fascinating marine life, and the Baja peninsula is primarily known as a fishing paradise. Roosters are notorious for reluctantly coming to within landing distance of the beach or panga, only to run again - sometimes stripping as much as 300 yards of backing from the reel. One problem I flyfish and got a guide already. Family Whale Watching in Magdalena Bay | Sea Kayak Adventures The food is true Mexican cuisine with a varied and customized choice of meals that is included with your stay. Huge fish boils are still the norm here, providing the fly fisher the opportunity to cast a fly in the churning waters with equal chance of catching dorado, tuna, wahoo or billfish. Our contact during the booking process was Marco: he was flexible with our requests about . At this moment the sardines move from one place to another trying to survive and it is the moment when they start trolling in our boats with quality equipment, for this reason we must be very attentive and prepared to live the moment they are hooked in the trolls and a power struggle begins between the Fish and the lovers of sport fishing, these are the last minutes or hours of life of the fight of the King of the Pacific "El Marlin", the dorado or another fish that will touch you witness live. The best boats in the area equipped with 4 . Sun protective clothing and hat. We woke up to a ham-and-egg breakfast and to find that the crew had already caught a healthy supply of live bait. The engine that moved my kayak at several knots (enough to leave a wake) was a large striped marlin to which I was tethered with 50-pound braid and a 6/0 circle hook embedded securely in the corner of the fishs mouth. His captain was Juan Jose Abaroa Flores, who ran the Mucho Loco for the Rolling Stones for many years back in the 1980s. A chain of islands that serve as a barrier protect the bay from the vast Pacific Ocean, creating an ideal environment for a large population of marine life, including the most popular species of sport fishing. You know fishing is good when it has come to strictly catch and release on wahoo and even tuna. For more details on trip rules, cancellation and travel insurance visit our KNOW BEFORE YOU GO page. Mag Bay is offers super size fish options. All rights reserved. These videos do not represent "great fishing trips" but rather just the everyday sport fishing here in Mag Bay. Casting into feeding blitzes is common in these inshore waters. 3 Full Days of Fishing. Fishing Expeditions | La Paz | Baja Sur Mexico | BACo. Calle Puerto La Paz 40, Bahia Magdalena, 23740 Magdalena Bay, B.C.S., Mexico. If you find your deal on another fishing website at a lower rate, contact ourcustomer careteam. These are but a few samples available. The Life of Ryan. Video by Spencer Millsap. There would be no stand-up fighting harnesses on this day; big-game angling from a kayak is all about arms and back, and the drag of the kayak. 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 . e invite you to reach out and give us a call or checkout more on the website. Magdalena Bay: Mercurial World review - poolside pop with seductive . But we never make it. While whale watching remains the primary focus in all of Magdalena Bay, fishing in Puerto San Carlos and Lopez Mateos continues to be off the charts for the few anglers who would rather fish than watch. Bathroom and snack stop along the way. Depending on seas, etc its a little tricky to sport fish from a panga in those areas getting out in time and back. We spotted the frigate birds working the surface; when we got close, we could see the marlin in hot pursuit. Yet the vetting of anglers capable of the daily will and skill necessary to excel in these waters seems to happen organically. Boulevard marina esquina marlin 1 lote C9 Col. Centro Cabo San Lucas B.C.S Mexico 23450, The Most Popular Water Sports That You Must Try Once. Locally family owned and operated, "Proudly creating life-long memories" for more than 23,000 people in the past 40+ yrs. Marco and a few locals have begun taking experienced free-divers to the marlin grounds, where they pay to swim near the baitballs found offshore here in the fall. We have two well-equipped sport fishing boats, as well as multiple pangas (covered or non-covered), depending on where you want to go and what you want to catch. Rumor has it that the record for conventional tackle releases at Mag Bay is close to 200 striped marlin in one day, which pretty much sums up this amazing fishery.. The bay itself is as vast as it can get and has a feeling of wilderness. 755 Paseo Obregon. East Cape - Baja Flyfishing Company The other deal is bookable online and is still available when we check. Flyfishing is not remotely new to Mag Bay, but the current state of the sport absolutely is. ith time one of the founders unfortunately passed and the remaining owners decided to partner up to open up the lodge to some lucky tourists. Be Sure to Check Out MAG BAY LURES with MAG BAY LODGE which is where we stayed and who organized this whole beautiful trip for us! This same phenomenon happens in Isla Mujeres, Mexico, with sailfish; the boats look for frigates close to the surface, then run to them. The marlin pulled me through and over large bait balls, with frigate birds wheeling just overhead. For more details on trip rules, cancellation and travel insurance visit our, Roundtrip professional ground transfers from and to the Loreto airport. Between these islands and smaller sand banks which . Is family owned & Operated "Proudly Creating Life-Long Memories" for morethan 23,000 people in the past 32 plus years .You will have the privilege to embark on a interactive adventure through the majestic ever glade waters of " Magdalena Bay" with father Crispin (Whale King) or one . Top to bottom everything was amazing. 30 kw generator. Offshore 25 miles, the wind picks up and I hear it mix with the country music coming from our little travel speaker. Fly Fishing Packages - Baja Flyfishing Company The gray whale spends summers in the waters off Alaska, and then heads 6,000 miles (almost 10,000 km) south to the warmer lagoons of Baja in January, February and March. Id try to follow but had no chance to catch them unless they turned back our way. Standard operating procedure called for fishermen to simply sit in their pangas for the short ride. 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. Most panga fleets participate throughout the whale watching season (which usually lasts into April) at San Ignacio Lagoon and Magdalena BayLopez Mateos and Puerto San Carlos. That's our story! At just about that instant, the big billfish burst high out of the water several times, leaping and twisting wildly. Landing this exotic and surprising prize opened our imaginations. $0 - $400 $400 - $600 $600 - $800 $800+ Magdalena Bay: 7 fishing charters available . . Custom Fly Fishing Panga Package 7 days: $2950/person At The New Island Home, Includes air port transfers, lodging, and meals. Mag Bay Fishing at its finest - A Premier Magdalena Bay Fishing Lodge We anchored in Man Of War Cove. Magdalena Bay Previous Entry. There is nowhere else like it on Earthyou just have to figure out how to get there. Magdalena Bay Needs You! - Nautilus Liveaboards Chapstick. Whale watching has been passed down through Crispins family to his adult sonalso our hostMarco Antonio Mendoza, who built a safari-style camp at the base of the mountains on a nearby island. I found spinners with 20- and 30-pound braid perfect for throwing poppers or Sebile Stick Shadds worked back fast and hard. Kusler Yachts Guide to Fishing Mag Bay on Your Own Boat. Each winter, adventurous tourists come to meet and touch grey whales that have come en masse to get their offspring through the first few months of life. Throughout the years, many offered insights, stories and shared details about some of their favorite Magdalena Bay fishing holes: Gene . 8:15-10:15 AM Travel to Magdalena Bay. I recall hearing Morgan Promnitzs voice crackle over the VHF under my seat, as a stripey towed him toward the horizon: Marc! Offshore vs. Inshore Fishing in Cabo San Lucas: Which is Right for You? I dont want to spend a lot just to be on a huge/fancy boat ran by Americans. 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. Tour will start at approx 7:30-7:45am . Adults: $261.00 $235.00. If you are coming from a cruise ship we meet you at the Loreto Marina. This is familiar; this pull, this need to clear my line rapidly. The best fishing offshore is Aug through December, inshore . If you want to have a great time by the sea, Tag Cabo Sportfishing is your best bet. This author does not have any more posts. It quickly became evident that in Mag Bay, everything is far away. Puerto Vallarta Fishing: The Complete Guide - FishingBooker Blog The baitfish school together for protection; the ones on the outside are the first to get eaten, so naturally everyone wants to be in the center. This is the tour you came so far for ! The more I see this, the more I want to be back in the boat casting to them. But know this: If youre thinking of just rolling down to DIY the bay, make sure you are highly competent in a boat. 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 . Our journey to Thetis had us leaving the lodge in two pangas at dawn for a 15-minute ride to a launch point of sorts on a shallow beach. It's normal for the whales to surround the boat, play around, and look you in the eye. . Lopez Mateos/Magdalena Bay . Wed run ahead of them and the five photographers in our group would plop into the water; the bait would swim over and use us as cover. A chain of islands that serve as a barrier protect the bay from the . What I mean is there shuttles rent a car or what transportation is there to get from airport to there and I offshore flyfish. Mag Bay is the deep end of the pool. In the afternoons we still found the bait balls, but they were smaller and probably tired. There were several boats using this technique and most were hooking up regularly. Id heard stories about Mag Bays incredible striped marlin fishing from Smith and others for years, but not having a 60-plus-foot sport-fisherman at my disposal made it impossible to get there myself. Magdalena Bay has the best striped marlin fishing in the world - and that is true for fly fishing marlin and other fish as well. Required fields are marked *. In addition, Loreto's waters are home to other species like snapper and seabass, all year long. With four passengers, kayaks and lots of gear, our boat was heavier than the norm, but with mucho creaking, the truck pulled us out and only once required a stop to add air to a sagging tire with an old bicycle pump. Mexico's Magdalena "Mag" Bay is among the best and most consistent sportfishing experiences in the world. In the event of cancellation notice must be received in writing by the spot holder or charter master 180 days . All rights reserved. Silver Lining Kings. We had two different captains, both were knowledgeable and informative. You can view the rates for lodging here: . Smith told me they were at the Finger one day when there were marlin tails everywhere and everything imaginable was crashing a bait ball the size of an Olympic swimming pool: birds, dolphins, whales, marlin, mahi. But we had a great morning with yellowfin tuna small to maybe 20 pounds and skipjack. Magdalena Bay is a gorgeous place to visit just for the pristine beauty, mangroves and giant sand dunes of the outer islands. Mag Bay offers a sweet blend of elegant modern lines and the rustic California flare. The diving is great! By 3 p.m., seas were sporty and building. He can probably set up anything. We build custom fly and light-tackle fishing packages that suit your plans, and your . The Baja Flyfishing Co. LLC offers a variety of guided fly fishing, spin fishing and light tackle off shore packages as well as guided beach and kayak fishing. Magdalena Bay fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the high-70s, with water temperatures at 67 to 73 degrees. For a fly angler, there is great appeal in the unknown. Korchinski had been toying with the idea of running up to the Finger Bank, some 60 nautical miles north of Cabo. Our Packages are based on 2 Anglers, notice that this is a suggestion you can add Anglers, days or combine it with other locations. Yet wed never read or heard any mention of golden trevally in Mag Bay until Nick held one in his hands. With such a vast area, and countless species, time typically becomes a limiting factor more so than lack of fish. I can deal with anything at all to get to the great fishing, but here the trip is simple, the place is fantastic, and the fishing is utterly ridiculous. ADIOS LA PAZ CARNAVALE 2018! 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 . But there really is no spot in the area for a base for a sport fishing operation. Are Wahoo in the bay too? 2-day Magdalena Bay Gray Whale Van Tour An anglers skill set and a sense of adventure still has to be there. I could hear shouting across the waves, as other kayak anglers, rods bent over hard, were pulled in various directions. his Lodge was built nearly 30 years ago by some well respected Americans with a vision for fishing in Mag Bay that was far ahead of the time. We plan to send out a few more exploratory trips and may start running panga fishing there before the season is over. It was probably the most incredible experience Ive ever had on the ocean, being able to see them from the stealth of a kayak that left them unaffected by my presence.. My friend Nick and I shout with joy, accompanied by excited words in Spanish from our new friends. Looking out onto the Bay of Banderas, this town is finely positioned for inshore and nearshore fishing, with deepwater action on offer in the Pacific Ocean just a few miles out. 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. If even one of the four people in this panga had ever flyfished for marlin before, I would feel better. You Save. mag bay | Tailhunter Fish Report Thats the shortcut route; to boat down to the large mouth of the bay and then northwest to Thetis is more like 45 miles. All reservations for charter are considered tentative until 25% deposit is received. You can find a lot of middle-price-point opportunity, and for the West Coast angler, its a lot closer than trekking to the Caribbean. Im not sure if Ricardo is even aware of how skilled he is at imitating every bird, insect, or wild sound he hears, but Ive noticed. Find frigate birds low on the water and the stripeys are sure to be there. In the bay, between 85 and 95 miles of mangrove-filled canals provide a seemingly endless source of light tackle fishing especially for groupers, snapper and snook. quantities. You are using an out of date browser. During the calving season, the gray whales migrate to the Baja waters, and so do humans. (8 with children) maximum. . It is one of the longest bays, it is considered the second largest in the Pacific. Magdalena Bay , 2/8/2023, National Geographic Sea Bird 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. One month too long? - Loreto Forum - Tripadvisor A 50% deposit is requested on all open party trips. Help us make more videos by clicking the like button. California fly angler wins conventional bass tourney. The vision is to share this Mag Bay fishing experience with the world. Our guests stay at the Mangrove Inn, a new facility located just outside the port town of Lopez Mateos. From about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., fishing 35 or so miles off Mag Bays southern entrance in Baja California, Mexico, four kayakeros released nine striped marlin. Copyright 2018 Baja Fishing Convoys - All Rights Reserved. Its not a place to learn flycasting; its a place where knowing how to manipulate 500-grain sink-tips is just as important as knowing how to move big poppers on floating lines. Magdalena Bay Whales - Your Adventure Our Passion . The sardine run is going to be extinct at this rate. : $950. https://magbaylodge.com/ . Ive battled big tarpon, but this is new, and different, and on this morning the unknown has gotten to me. (more). Bahia Santa Maria and Magdalena Bay - MV Miss Miranda Mag Bay Lodge is one of the few operations in the area that caters to anglers. Whale Tour | Mag Bay Tours Nearby, Promnitz and Mills found good action on yellowtail to 25 pounds in mid-depths, fishing speed jigs. Bright blue silence. The closer the big fish get to the bait, the brighter they get with excitement. In the morning, the bait schools were bigger and were running together as a group, rather than trying to hide in a ball. The local panga fishermen are mad as h*ll that the sardine and marlin are getting fished out illegally with up to 14 large industrial size boats going out of Magdalena Bay every night, each boat harvesting 100 - 200 tons of fish. Thanks guys! Aldo may be the best captain I have ever fished with. Insane Inshore Fishing in Magdalena Bay - YouTube Whale watching in Mexico's Magdalena Bay | Audley Travel Guided Beach, includes fly fishing guide, UTV rental, all fly fishing equipment and lunch: $575. Thirty minutes later and its the post-release chatter, all high fives, and back slaps. The best time - season to fish Magdalena Bay it's from early June to late December. Small day pack or hip pack with any personal items. On kayaks smaller than the big Pro Angler such as the Hobie Passport models from which two anglers fished you can straddle the vessel with your feet in the water to increase resistance. Puerto Vallarta, or simply "PV" is the epitome of Mexico's sportfishing scene. Best time to visit. I pushed up the lever drag on the Daiwa Saltiga and came tight immediately. 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. Baja is well known as a great place to whale watch. BD Outdoors began as a forum-based fishing community to connect saltwater anglers and provide a home to share the latest fishing reports and news. This lodge and operation is nothing short of amazing. Winning this round, Nick holds a handsome golden trevally that has taken the place of the snook and marlin we came to catch. But it is also the common name of the greater environment that surrounds it, including a series of massive barrier islands with their own bays and an active offshore ecosystem. Brian J. Cantwell. As you get closer, you can spot the marlins fins slicing the surface. 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. On one day last year, they raised 143 marlin and released 50, all on fly tackle. The productive and healthy marine environment is an anglers dream come true! Rarely will they even be found within 15 to 20 miles of the mouth of the bay. 2 ton central forced A/C unit. 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. 202/642-6386) has been leading whale-watching experiences. Its possible to get diesel fuel in Mag Bay, but they bring it to you by panga; its more economical and safer to just keep your cruising speed low and complete the entire trip on one load.