Golden Gate is the northern of the two Pacific side banks, up the coast from Cabo Falso toward Todos Santos. Same idea as San Jaime. Structure rising out of deep ocean, current running over it, bait stacking up and billfish working the edges. It is one of the two names that gets said whenever striped marlin come up.
Golden Gate Bank lies off the Pacific coast northwest of Cabo San Lucas, up the shoreline in the general direction of Todos Santos. San Jaime is its counterpart to the southwest. Between them they account for most of the serious offshore effort on the Pacific side of the cape.
The run takes you out of the harbor, past Land's End, around Cabo Falso and then up the coast. Once you clear the corner you are on open Pacific water with nothing between you and a long fetch of ocean. That is worth knowing before you commit to the day.
It is a seamount. Deep water all around, ground that rises up in the middle. Current pushes against that rise, pushes water and nutrients upward, and bait collects. Predators follow bait. That is the entire mechanism and it is the same mechanism that makes every good offshore bank in the world work.
What it means in practice is that the bank is a starting point rather than a destination. You do not park on the number and wait. You work the high spots, the edges and the drop offs, and you look for the signs. Birds. Bait on the surface. A temperature change. Colour change in the water. The fish will be near the structure but not always on it.
This is the fish the bank is known for. Striped marlin concentrate on Pacific side structure and Golden Gate is one of the reliable places to find them off Cabo. Most years the best of it runs from late autumn through spring, when the water is cooler, though stripers can turn up in any month.
On the days everybody hopes for you find fish on the surface, tailing or free swimming, and you cast a live bait to a fish you can see. That is a different sport from dragging lures and hoping. It does not happen every trip. When it does happen you remember it.
Billfish are released. That is standard practice on this coast and it is not negotiable with us.
The Pacific side wind generally builds through the day. Mornings are usually the better half. That shapes how a bank trip is planned more than anything else does.
Winter northerlies can shut the Pacific side down for days at a time. When that happens the honest answer is to fish the Cortez side instead rather than take you out into something unpleasant for the sake of a name on a booking. We would rather move the plan than ruin the day.
Trip lengths, departure times, tackle carried, licence handling and pricing for Golden Gate trips are all still being confirmed. Ask before you book so there are no surprises about how long you will be on the water.
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.
