The cows are blowing up on the Hurricane Bank. This large ‘cow’ yellowfin tuna was bested by this happy angler while fishing aboard the Excel 16-day trip off the southern end of the Baja Peninsula.

Dock Totals 1/21 – 1/27: 286 anglers aboard 15 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 1 cabezon, 13 calico bass, 1 lingcod, 18 lobster (46 released), 12 perch, 67 rock crab, 300 rockfish, 177 sand bass, 40 sanddab, 171 sculpin, 8 sheephead, and 403 whitefish.

Saltwater: With much of the local fleet in dry dock or in maintenance mode, rough conditions with passing fronts, and rockfish closed, ½-day to 3-day trips were limited to just over a dozen total runs for the week. Most of that was focused on the great local bass fishing, plus a couple trips south of the border for rockfish. Whitefish are also biting very well, as are sculpin for those on the short runs. Lobster hoop-netting trips have had some success, with a good ratio of keepers to shorts, and a good number of rock crab are also coming up in the hoops. It seems the “bugs” are more active when there is rain runoff creating stirred up conditions in which they can forage, as the numbers and ratio seem to improve after every storm. There’s plenty of good table fare to be caught locally, but the best fishing this time of year is, as usual, enjoyed by those on long-range trips to the southern stretches of the Baja Peninsula.

Trips running from 8 days to 16 days have been reporting great wahoo action off the Ridge outside of Bahia Magdalena, while yellowfin tuna, especially at Hurricane Bank, have been coming in larger over the past couple weeks. Recent runs by the Excel, Royal Polaris, the Intrepid, and the Red Rooster III have been getting a good number of fish well over 100 pounds, with a few pushing the 300-pound mark. These trips can be pricey, but it takes four full days of running — 96 hours — just to get into the zone. The longer trips often offer fly-down service, where one can fly down to Cabo or La Paz, catch a shuttle to Bahia Magdalena, and hop on the boat. This way, anglers can avoid the long boat ride. Just go to the landing before departure and load your gear, then fly down three days later and meet the boat for 10 full days of fishing during a 16-day trip. These trips can run upward of $7000 (plus airfare if one chooses the fly-down option), but generally sell out.

Alternative trips, like the four day ‘Riviera Package’ offered by Red Rooster III in February, can be a more affordable option at around $2000, but they are more centered on whale watching and inshore fishing. On those trips, patrons will fly down to La Paz, where Red Rooster staff will have a shuttle waiting to run the two hours to Puerto Chale. There, a short panga ride will get folks to the boat. Activities include two days of whale watching in the calving lagoon, a hiking day on Isla Magdalena, and a day for other recreational activities, like fishing with a local pangero (at an additional cost). With staterooms and top-notch cuisine, these trips can be a great adventure for couples or families. 

This time of year, most long-range trips are just that, a full 16 days from departure to return. By May, the schedules will be reduced to 1.5-day to 6-day outings, mostly, as the water warms and pelagic fishing improves closer to home port — especially, as has been the case in recent years, if the bluefin bite picks up. We San Diegans are very fortunate to have the fishery we do just off our coast, especially with the option of running south along the Baja Peninsula into a fishery dubbed one of the best, if not the best. in the world. 

Whether you’re hopping on a sportboat running out of one of the landings, trailering your own boat or kayak, driving down and hiring a local boat, or just pounding the beaches and rocks from shore, the fishing possibilities and varying species from San Diego to Cabo San Lucas in either the Pacific or Sea of Cortes are prolific, and offer year-round action on everything from rockfish and bass to dorado, wahoo, tuna, and marlin. Deciding where to fish, when, and what for can be tough given so many choices, but in general, the further south you go in winter, the better. Even so, there are many micro-biospheres along the coast that defy “normal” seasons, such as the yellowtail fishery along the Vizcaino coast halfway down the peninsula’s Pacific coast, where water temps tend to run cool until late July or August, then stay warm into March. That fishery offers an alternative to the yellowtail fishing, say, off Loreto in the winter that is often hampered by seasonal north winds. When it’s blowing out of the north on the Sea of Cortes, it is usually calm along the Pacific side. 

Planning a trip into Baja should always include options given the conditions, as it is hard to guess what the weather will be until within a week or so. Legalities, like a Forma Migration Multiple (FMM), fishing license, car insurance, and such are affordable. Some folks will say they aren’t needed, as they have never been asked…but it is always better to have one’s ducks in a row concerning paperwork in a foreign country. I, too, have never been asked for my FMM or fishing license in decades of travel into Baja, and have never had to call my insurance carrier, but as the license and FMM, together, are under $100 and Mexican car insurance is very affordable compared to the U.S., there is little excuse to forego the legal requirements. 

There does seem to be a lot of confusion on the Baja social media sites about those requirements. Some rules have changed, and Baja can be different than mainland requirements. A brief outline: first, you need an FMM, all ages for any length of trip. FMMs are good for up to 180 days, and for trips of 7 days or less, the document is free. To obtain an FMM, an adult needs to have a passport book or card. Youths under 18 can often get them with a birth certificate if with their parents. Fishing licenses are required for all on a boat when anyone on that boat is fishing, all ages. A fishing license is required for anyone fishing from any boat or kayak, even float tubes. A license is not required for fishing from shore in Mexico. Car insurance is simply a good idea, whether required or not, especially for liability purposes. Though getting one’s paperwork in order is not difficult, if you have any doubts, it is best to go with a Baja-specific travel club that offers convenient one-stop shopping, like Discover Baja or Baja Bound, to make sure all requirements are met. They’re out there, so go get ‘em!