Gordo Banks is two seamounts off the San Jose del Cabo side of the cape, known locally as the Inner and the Outer Gordo. They are the most famous tuna ground in this part of Baja and they have a long association with genuinely large yellowfin. They also fish hard, and they do not give fish up easily.
People say Gordo Banks as if it is a single spot. It is two. The Inner Gordo is the shallower and closer of the pair. The Outer Gordo sits further offshore and deeper. They fish differently, they hold bait differently, and on any given day one can be alive while the other is dead.
Both are seamounts, meaning underwater hills that rise off much deeper ground. That is the whole story of why they matter. Current hits rising structure, gets pushed up, and brings nutrients and bait with it. Everything that follows is a consequence of that.
From Cabo San Lucas marina you clear the harbor, turn up around the cape and run northeast past the corridor and San Jose del Cabo. It is a long enough run that it commits your day. From the San Jose side it is a much shorter proposition, which is why boats based there have a real edge on tuna days.
Sea state on the Cortez side is generally kinder than the Pacific, but the ground out there sits exposed and a northerly can make it uncomfortable. If the forecast is marginal we will say so before you leave the dock rather than three hours in.
Gordo Banks is best known for yellowfin tuna, and specifically for large ones. Fish in the cow class have been taken off these banks. That reputation is earned, and it also creates unrealistic expectations, so here is the honest version.
Big yellowfin here are often associated with porpoise. When the porpoise are working the banks and the tuna are with them, it can be an extraordinary day. When they are not, you can put in a full effort and see very little. That is the nature of the place. It is not a numbers ground where you grind out a limit of school fish. It is a ground where you accept some blank days in exchange for a shot at a fish that changes your year.
Techniques that get used out there, in no particular order:
Tackle needs to be honest here. Light gear on a big yellowfin over structure ends one way. To confirm for what we carry aboard and what we recommend you bring.
Tuna get the attention but the banks are not a single species ground. Striped marlin, blue and black marlin, dorado and wahoo all show up depending on the time of year and water temperature. Wahoo in particular have a strong association with structure like this, generally in the warmer months and often around the moons.
Sailfish turn up as well, less predictably. Skipjack and smaller tuna are common and are useful bait as much as targets.
Most years the tuna fishing builds through summer and holds into late autumn, with warm water and bait the two things that matter. Winter can still produce, particularly for striped marlin. Anyone giving you a firm calendar is guessing.
Trip lengths, departure options, tackle provided, licences and pricing for Gordo Banks trips are all still being confirmed.
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.
