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Offshore Panga Fishing in Loreto, Sea of Cortez, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Offshore Fishing in Loreto from "Pangas"
Just about the best offshore fishing in Baja is found in Loreto, Baja California Sur, Mexico. It is different than La Paz. La Paz has excellent to superb offshore fishing as well, just different than Loreto. One of the differences that Loreto has is that you don't have to "motor" as far to the fishing grounds as you do in La Paz. Isla Carmen is only six miles offshore. There is some great fishing in the Sea of Cortez about a mile from the island and everywhere in channel between the island of Isla Carmen and the Loreto Marina. If you hit it right, you can even get into an incredible squid "bite". During late spring, giant grouper and yellow tail are the name of the game. During June to September, Dorado (Mahi Mahi) and Sail Fish are biting, big time.
Panga Fishing
New panga's $20,000 - $30,000, used from $6,000 - $12,000
Rent a Panga. Typically, if you don't have your own boat from which to do offshore fishing in Baja, you can rent a 22 foot Mexican panga (open fiberglass skiff with an outboard motor and usually a center console) that comes with the skipper. The Baja skippers are incredible. Most of them have a sixth sense and can locate fish for you by reading the activity of sea gulls flying above. Most all of the boats go out at the same time and come back in at the same time for safety. That way if someone hasn't returned, they will know which boat it is right away and they can start looking for it. The Mexican skippers stay in communication with each other by radio so they share the information on where fish are biting. The panga will accomodate two fishermen and the skipper with absolutely no problem at all. You can have a third fisherman on board, but then you have to trade-off because it is only practical to have two lines in the water at one time.
How is offshore fishing in Loreto done on a panga? Most of the offshore fishing in Loreto is done by trolling, especially for dorado. Offshore panga fishing in Loreto is absolutely fabulous. Panga Fishing in The Sea of Cortez is rich in the abundant varieties of world class game fish. Specifically, Fishing in Loreto is very productive; there are plenty of fish here. I have fished southern California waters, including fishing off of San Diego. It doesn't compare to the fishing in Loreto, not even close!
Pangas are the best way to fish Loreto
How do I get started? This is how to fish in Baja, Mexico. Go to the marina and talk to the people at the tackle shop or go to one of several fishing shops in town (ask your hotel manager, he will direct you). Make your arrangements for the following day. They will ask you if you want them to bring you a box lunch and beer. That will cost a few extra bucks. They don't ask you what brand of beer you want, you get the low cost beer that they provide and that is that. (Side point, in 1986, the common beer du jour was Corona and that is what you got from the skippers. About five years later when the Newport Beach crowd wanting to reminisce about the good times in Baja, they started asking for Corona at their Newport bars and cocktail lounges. It then became popular and fashionable and the price soared. Now Corona is considered a name brand premium beer. It's not, it's still the same common beer it was in 1986 to me.) The next day, show up at the marina at 5:30am ready to fish. You can bring your own equipment (rods and reels, hooks and tackle), or they can provide you with what you need. They will shove off into the glorious waters of Mexico, Sea of Cortez at around 6:00am. In my opinion, nothing compares to offshore panga fishing in Loreto. Not anywhere in California, Catalina Island, Hawaii, or the Gulf of Mexico. Top
The first thing is to get bait. Usually, you will fish for mackerel or sardines or squid yourself, or get bait from some local kids netting for sardines. If no bait is available, the skipper will provide cut bait of some kind or you are free to use lures. If you are fishing for dorado, you can use lures or cut bait (10 inch strips of squid work pretty well, so do lures) and then you troll until you get a bite. The thing about dorado is that if they see your bait, they will bite. If you don't hook the dorado on the first bite, just start trolling as soon as possible in the exact same place and the exact same dorado will bite again. Takes about 15 minutes at the longest to land a dorado. When you get them into the boat, you have to smack them with a blunt instrument pretty hard to get them to stop thrashing about. You have to do that, it's dangerous to have any fish thrashing around in a boat. Top
Eat your own catch of the day. When you are done fishing for the day and you arrive back at the marina (about 1:00pm), have the skipper filet the fish for you. Set aside about one pound for each person and take that to your hotel restuarant or to your favorite restaurant in town and ask them to cook the fish for you the way you want it and have it ready at some specific time that afternoon. Have the restaurant freeze the rest of the fish and hold it for you until you leave Loreto, Baja Mexico. Go back to your room, get cleaned up, and go directly to the restaurant to eat your fish with beans and rice and some cerveza's. You will be in Baja heaven. Then, do it all over again the next day.
Quite frankly, my whole goal in life is to be in Baja Mexico, to fish and to eat. Everything I do, everyday, is to that end. I have been a gymnast, a restauranteur, a cook, a bar tender, an accountant, CFO and Vice President of Mortgage and Property Management Companies, A corporate federal and state income tax researcher, a CEO of my own commercial property management company, a professional videographer and photographer, and a teacher, but the only thing I want to do now is to locate property and build homes in Loreto and La Paz for my clients, offshore panga fish, and eat in Baja California, Mexico. Top