A full day gives us the range to leave the water close in and fish the banks, where the bigger tuna and the summer marlin live. It is trolling, watching, and then thirty seconds of noise when something eats. Bring sun protection and patience. This is the trip for people who came to Baja to fish rather than to sample fishing.
The difference between a short trip and a full day is fuel and time. With a full day we can leave the local water and run to the banks. On the Pacific side that usually means the Golden Gate or San Jaime, underwater high spots that hold bait and pull in pelagic fish. On the Sea of Cortez side we can push up the coast toward the Gordo Banks off San Jose del Cabo. Which way we go is decided in the morning on wind, swell and what the fleet reported yesterday, not decided in advance in an office. Trip length and departure time are still being confirmed.
Where you meet us depends on which boat the trip runs on. The 35 foot El Wahoo King leaves from Cabo San Lucas Marina. The 28 foot catamaran La Morita leaves from San Jose del Cabo. Departure points for the 27 foot super panga La Ruca and the 33 foot Don Pancho are still being confirmed. We are based in El Pescadero, near Todos Santos on the Pacific side, so on this trip the boat is on the other coast and the drive to it is part of the morning. Tell us where you are staying and we will tell you what that looks like. We almost never run split charters, so the boat is effectively yours for the day. Numbers depend on which one you are on, two to four on La Ruca, three or four on La Morita, three to six on Don Pancho and up to six on El Wahoo King.
This coast fishes all year, but not for the same fish. Striped marlin are a mainstay and are often thickest in the cooler months. Blue and black marlin are warm water fish and generally show from roughly summer into autumn. Yellowfin tuna often run with the porpoise in the warmer half of the year and give the hardest fight of any fish on the boat. Dorado turn up as the water warms and are the most reliable fish to eat. Wahoo appear in late summer and autumn and are lost more often than they are landed. Treat all of that as a pattern rather than a schedule.
Most of the day is trolling. Lures and rigged bait behind the boat, the crew watching the spread, everyone else watching for birds and for a fin in the pattern. When we find bait or a school we may switch to live bait, cast, or drop a jig. If a striped marlin comes up on a teaser we bait and switch and hand you the rod. You do not need to know how to do any of this, and beginners are welcome on a full day as much as on a short one. You do need to move quickly when the crew starts shouting, because the moment a fish eats is short. Boat tackle is aboard and included, and rod and reel rental is available on top of it if you want something particular in your hands.
A full day is a long time on a boat. If you are not confident about seasickness, take the half day first and find out cheaply. If you have small children who will be bored by hour three, take the half day. If you want to swim, snorkel and look at the arch, book the combo or the snorkelling trip, because we will spend most of this day away from anything worth swimming in. And if the point of the day is drinking, book somebody else. Hooks, wire, gaffs and heavy drinking do not mix on a moving deck.
The middle hours are the quiet part. The sun is overhead, the shade is small and the bite often shuts down. Bring more water than you think you need. Water, ice and snacks are aboard as a matter of course. Whether lunch and alcohol come with a given trip is still being confirmed. If you want to bring your own food, tell us when you book and we will tell you what actually works on the boat.
Every person on a sportfishing vessel in Mexican waters needs a Mexican sportfishing licence, anglers and non anglers alike. It is not included in the price. You buy your own and we will help you get it. What a licence costs is still being confirmed. Mexico sets bag limits and protects certain species. Marlin here are mostly catch and release and that is our normal practice, but it is a call made on the day and the captain makes it, on the fish, the fight and the shape it comes up in. If you want meat fish for the table, say so early. Whatever we keep is yours to take home. The crew cleans and bags it at the dock, and expert filleting, vacuum sealing and freezing are available so it travels.
Storm season runs roughly June through November and the port closes when it is unsafe. In winter a hard north wind can make the Sea of Cortez side rough while the Pacific side stays workable, or the reverse. Working off both coasts is the reason we can often still get you out. We make that call in the morning and we tell you the truth about it. A 50% deposit is normally required to hold a date. Cancellation, refund and weather rebooking terms are still being confirmed.
Peak months in lagoon. Billfish are released; most of the rest goes in the box.
The short version of how a trip with Indigo Adventures works. Licences, deposits, boats and what happens to your catch. The full FAQ has the rest.
Read the full FAQ→Indigo Adventures is based in El Pescadero, on the Pacific side of Baja California Sur, a few minutes south of Todos Santos. Boats launch from three points: Punta Lobos beach in Todos Santos, San Jose del Cabo, and the Cabo San Lucas Marina. Which boat runs your trip decides where you meet us.
Custom fishing and spearfishing charters, freediving excursions, whale watching from mid December to April, and kayaking. Every trip is built around your group, your dates and the conditions rather than a fixed timetable, and almost every one goes out private.
Book online on the Book Now page, where availability is live and a 50 percent deposit holds the date. If you would rather we picked the trip, send an enquiry with who is coming, when you are here and what you want out of the day, and we will say which trip fits and which one does not.
No. Everyone fishing in Mexican waters needs a Mexican sportfishing licence, and each angler buys their own. We help you arrange it before the day so nobody is sorting paperwork on the dock. The same licence covers rod and spear.
Rarely. Almost every trip goes out as a private boat for you and your group. If a split makes sense for a small party we will say so when you enquire.
Three on the 24 foot Punta Lobos panga, up to four on La Ruca and La Morita, and up to six on Don Pancho and El Wahoo King. Whale watching numbers run a little higher because nobody is swinging a rod.
Yes. The catch goes home with you. Filleting at the dock, vacuum sealing and freezing are available, and most guests fly home with a cooler. Marlin are mostly released, with judgement on the day.
Yes, on fishing days. The crew rigs and handles the gear and hands you the rod when something eats. Guided spearfishing needs breath-hold experience and runs on a strict buddy system, which is the only legal way to spearfish in Mexico. Water, ice and snacks are normally aboard.
