I never fished Mag Bay, but I want to soon. From there we start the 6 hour drive up north to Magdalena Bay, during which we pass through Todos Santos, La Paz and Constitucion. from La Ventana around the waters off Cabo San Lucas and all the way up the Pacific Coast to Magdalena Bay - Wherever the fishing action is best. The diving is great! Day 1 - The tour departs at 6am from our office in the Cabo San Lucas Marina. Soon, Nick calls out every anglers favorite two words. According tolocals, the rocks here once stood taller, before the Americans used them for target practice in the spring of 1908. Frozen in the blue quiet. Thats the shortcut route; to boat down to the large mouth of the bay and then northwest to Thetis is more like 45 miles. For most flyfishers, being surrounded by such variety means you basically have two choices: Go loaded for bear by bringing every rod, reel, and line in your quiver, and just follow the bite wherever it leads; or pick one species and go all in, even if that means pouring days or weeks into a species like snook, hoping for the right tides and right timing. But really, 200-plus-pound fish on 40-pound braid? It brings in some of the cleanest waters, fresh nutrients, and exotic fishing catch. Cancn's up there somewhere. Professional naturalist and bi-lingual guides. 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. If youre lucky, you might even get your hands on some Spotted Bass, Dog Tooth Snapper, Halibut, Snook, Corniva, and Grouper. 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. 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. Located on the Pacific Ocean side of the Baja Peninsula, Baha Magdalena, or Mag Bay, is one of the most legendary yet remote fisheries in North America.This 30 mile long bay, famous as a home to the gray whale during its southern migration, is formed by two sandy barrier islands named Isla Magdalena/Isla Margarita and provides incredible inshore and offshore fishing. It lasted for several hours, then suddenly everything stopped. It is a long run from the launches out of the bay. We will match the rate of the other deal if the La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico. The return trip took us perhaps 20 additional minutes when the wheel bearings in the old trailer failed halfway across the sand. Sun protective clothing and hat. Mag Bay Lodge is one of the few operations in the area that caters to anglers. 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. Our Mag Bay yacht charters are luxurious, affordable, and have all the amenities to fit your budget. That begs some explanation. 4-day fishing adventure in Quepos Costa Rica. After more than an hour, I was able to bill the beast and work the circle hook out of its jaw, then pedaled for 10 minutes or so holding the marlin by its bill alongside until it was kicking strongly for a healthy release. Also, whats a good time (month) to fish Mag Bay? It is a place for fly anglers not in search of banner day after banner day, but in search of unique, memorable events. There were marlin everywhere, not just on the bait balls. How many fisheries in the offshore world allow you to first experience the angling, then immerse yourself in the water with your quarry? The central Baja region is home to Wahoo, Yellowfish tuna, Wahoo, and Dorado. Yet wed never read or heard any mention of golden trevally in Mag Bay until Nick held one in his hands. On one dive, there were five snorkelers in a semi-circle and a family of sea lions swimming opposite from us. The Lodge at Mag Bay offers a truly extraordinary experience. The other deal is bookable online and is still available when we check. It feels like the curiosity is mutual. With anglers launched, the pangas remain in proximity and in contact to bring bait, food and drinks, gear, or to pick up fish for dinner and put them on ice. Drake Magazine Back Issue Content Winter 2019. Martinez had located lodging for us at the Hotel Alcatraz in Puerto San Carlos and secured a guide that ran a 25-foot panga. A remote, isolated bay that sits some 120 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, there is not much in this part of the Baja. You are using an out of date browser. modifications. 27' SPORT PANGA . MagBay lodge offers pickups, taxis from loreto, or car rentals are all options. Seen here is Marc Mills with a nice yellowtail. Magdalena Bay, Lopez Mateos, Baja. DAY TRIP 200 . 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. You have contacted us immediately after booking with all the details of the other deal The vision is to share this Mag Bay fishing experience with the world. Additional non-fishing guests may also be added to your room. Engines start at USD 8500.00 for a two stroke E Tec, or USD 9500.00 for a four stroke Yamaha. What was the point? he said. Flies are cast in the general direction of these rocks while the outgoing tide makes a massive rip a half-mile wide. I pushed up the lever drag on the Daiwa Saltiga and came tight immediately. Magdalena Bay , 2/8/2023, National Geographic Sea Bird. Mag Bay is almost the same size as San Francisco Bay. Striped marlin gorge on bait balls off far-flung Magdalena Bay, creating unparalleled action and record catch numbers. This luxury fishing yacht charter with a personal chef onboard cooking meals and 2 deckhands working alongside. Check out our videos just to see a trip or two when the cameras were rolling. 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. If even one of the four people in this panga had ever flyfished for marlin before, I would feel better. . I dont think we ever saw more than three sport-fishing boats in a day, but there was clearly a specific area where all the action was taking place. Infante stuck a Daiwa Saltiga lever-drag reel in my face. Find frigate birds low on the water and the stripeys are sure to be there. Cabo Fishing rentals/ Cabo fishing Charters. full service galley A/C. It has moved onto the next stages, where perhaps more balance can be found with each fishermans son or daughter finding opportunity in new industries that are well-managed and well-regulated. Its easy to keep pace with fins. Time and tide now allow ! 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. 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. Anywhere from 40 to 120 miles depending on where you leave from and what part you travel too. . The interconnected bays include Bahia Magdalena, Bahia Almeja and a series of smaller bays ending at Santa Domingo to the north. Smith has released more than 5,000 billfish on fly in his career. The Importance of Estimating a Sport Fishs Size and Weight, Marlin Expeditions Offers Light-Tackle Paradise in Guatemala. Depending on seas, etc its a little tricky to sport fish from a panga in those areas getting out in time and back. These places in the bluewater world are teaming with life, and they showcase the dance on a daily basis between apex predators like billfish, sea lions, and anglers. For angler seeking some of the best fishing left on the planet and that appreciate remote and wild locations, this is your place. 1). The more I see this, the more I want to be back in the boat casting to them. Combination packages mixing cruiser, panga, kayak or beach fishing; Large groups and Seminars; Activities that include snorkeling, scuba diving, whale watching, kayaking, four wheelers, eco-touring and horseback riding . But we had a great morning with yellowfin tuna small to maybe 20 pounds and skipjack. Late September the water warmed up. Bathroom and snack stop along the way. We're hoping to fish for Wahoo. The in-water viewpoint was very interesting. Mostly they are out on the Ridge. The bay is shel- tered from . The next morning, we ran 55 miles south in Enrique's panga to the estero that I believed to be Hoctor's spot. Catches Likely: Marlin, tuna, roosterfish, golden trevalle, pargo, snook, wahoo, dorado, bonita, jacks, and more. As usual, the whales did not let me down. 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. You can view the rates for lodging here: . 4 STROKE YAMAHA OUTBOARD. Nick Smith has been fishing Mag Bay for years. Runs a panga from Mag Bay. I could hear shouting across the waves, as other kayak anglers, rods bent over hard, were pulled in various directions. All rights reserved. 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. There are so few boats in Mag Bay that there is never any fighting over bait ballsbut Shafer doesnt chase them at all because he feels that it puts the fish down. No one plans on hopping into town for supplies or entertainment, because it just doesnt exist. About. On other trips, he had watched dozens of marlin finning on the surface as they cruised slowly downsea. For over 18 years, family-operated Mag Bay Tours (U.S. tel. Or normally out of the bay? Magdalena Bay, or Baha Magdalena in Spanish, is a 50 km long bay, and about 200 km of lagoons and channels on the Pacific side of the Baja California Sur, in the municipality of Comond. data-event-category="Navigation header guest", Full list of top fishing charters in Magdalena Bay, FishingBooker has a Shopper Approved rating of 4.8/5 based on 25793 ratings and reviews. We build custom fly and light-tackle fishing packages that suit your plans, and your . 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 . It is one of the longest bays, it is considered the second largest in the Pacific. Little has changed over the years in this small fishing village where the main available activities are around the fishing, whale watching and Eco Touring. 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. I wasnt alone in this contest. Aldo may be the best captain I have ever fished with. For more details on trip rules, cancellation and travel insurance visit our, Roundtrip professional ground transfers from and to the Loreto airport. Mag Bay Lodge is one of the few operations in the area that caters to anglers. Drake Magazine Back Issue Content: 2020 Summer Stranded on Socotra, Stranded on Socotra, The Quarantine and John Prine, Tarpon, A Mexican Introduction Fall Winter . Mag Bay is about the size of San Francisco Bay, and the largest villages in the area are Puerto San Carlospopulation: 5,500and Lopez Mateos, which are a bit rustic to say the least. You can leave out of Lopez Mateos or San Carlos depending who you fish with. 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. 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. It quickly became evident that in Mag Bay, everything is far away. A half-dozen marlin were below, attacking the bait within a few feet of our group. The Finger Bank is Mag Bay Lite. The sardine run is going to be extinct at this rate. Ive battled big tarpon, but this is new, and different, and on this morning the unknown has gotten to me. Its not an easy task to release a 60 lbs wahoofrom a popper on a spinning rod. 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. We anchored in Man Of War Cove. On one day last year, they raised 143 marlin and released 50, all on fly tackle. Whale watching sessions by Panga. Offshore 25 miles, the wind picks up and I hear it mix with the country music coming from our little travel speaker. Smith has released more than 5,000 billfish on fly in his career. Rarely will they even be found within 15 to 20 miles of the mouth of the bay. A series of sea mounts, pinnacles and banks, such as the Thetis and Potatoe Banks, hold huge concentrations of fish in the fall and spring as the species make their annual migrations. We had a day or two to spare, so Korchinski offered to take us out on his 43-foot Riviera, Blue Sky. Swimming with the fishes in Baja By John Huber Photos by Nick Price. You, Its been a crazy year for humans but for fish its been just fine. Bluewater in front of the bay holds striped marlin shredding bait and the occasional leader with their bills. from La Ventana around the waters off Cabo San Lucas and all the way up the Pacific Coast to Magdalena Bay - Wherever the fishing action is best. The result is a living, moving ball of fish, with marlin and often sea lions in pursuit. In 2018, Smith and Shafer spent 12 days in Mag Bay, releasing 317 striped marlin on fly. 888.752.2828; FREE DOMESTIC SHIPPING OVER $50; More. However, I could see Shafers point: Too much chasing was going to have an effect on the fish. You Save. Those who know me, know that fishing is my life. Lopez Mateos/Magdalena Bay . Smith designed the boat specifically for long-range trips: 2,300 gallons of fuel, two generators, two watermakers, and backups for pretty much everything. In the afternoons we still found the bait balls, but they were smaller and probably tired. Magdalena Bay fishing area weather was partly cloudy in the high-70s, with water temperatures at 67 to 73 degrees. Explore Isla Magdalena Surfing SUP Fishing Kayaking Snorkeling Spear Fishing Hiking Beach Combing Clam Digging . The best boats in the area equipped with 4 . Wed been researching and prepping for this trip for months, bringing enough gear to fish for whatever we encountered. I hop on a boat, shoot out in the morning, flip some baits around the red rooster III who just got there from a 3 day run. With us 60 years of knowledge await you as 4 generations have already passed, with great passion, respect and deep love for the impressive Magdalena Bay and its surroundings.