Amberjack are the fish that make people ask for a break. They live on deep rock, they eat a jig on the way down, and then they try to take you back into the structure using nothing but muscle. No speed, no jumps, no theatre. Just a long, dead pull that does not let up.
When we say amberjack off Cabo, what we usually have on the end of the line is almaco jack, Seriola rivoliana. It is a close relative of the yellowtail and the same broad family as the amberjacks anglers know from other oceans. We call it amberjack because that is what guests call it. Locally you will hear medregal.
Worth being straight about this, because amberjack means different fish in different places and the ones in the photos from Florida or the Gulf are usually a different species. What you will hook here is generally a solid fifteen to forty pound almaco, sometimes bigger off the deeper spots.
An amberjack fight is unglamorous and genuinely hard. There is no long screaming run. The fish simply turns broadside and heads back down, and it does that over and over while you try to lift it with your legs and your back.
If your only fishing has been trolling from a chair, this is a different kind of tired. Most anglers can handle two or three good ones before their arms are finished. There is nothing wrong with saying so. We would rather swap anglers than have somebody hurt their back on a fish.
Deep structure. Pinnacles, high spots, wrecks and the steep rocky ground that comes up off the drop, generally in water from a hundred feet down to several hundred. On the sounder they show as a thick mass sitting above the bottom, and that mark is the whole game.
They stack. If the sounder is lit up, everyone on board can be hooked at once, and the fun of that turns quickly into three people trying not to cross lines over a piece of rock. We fish them one or two rods at a time on tight spots for exactly that reason.
Vertical jigging is how we fish them and it is the most reliable method we have. A heavy speed jig or a slow-pitch jig dropped to the mark and worked back up through the school gets bitten hard. Often the strike comes on the drop, and the first thing you know about it is that the line has gone slack and then heavy.
Live bait fished deep works too, and is the easier option if jigging is not something you have done. Dropping a live bait down to a marked school is a fine way to fish and takes less out of you.
Braid, a short heavy leader, and a drag set firmly. As with the snappers, the fish wants the rock and the rock is close. You are fishing against structure the whole time.
We catch amberjack through much of the year in this region. They are less seasonal than the surface fish because the deep ground stays more stable than the top of the water column. Cooler months are often good, partly because the same trip can produce yellowtail off the same structure.
Current is what changes things. Too much of it and the jig will not stay in the strike zone. On those days we move to a spot in the lee of the current rather than fight it.
Amberjack is decent eating rather than remarkable. Firm, white, a little heavier and oilier than yellowtail. Bleed it straight away and get it on ice and it is very good. Leave it warm on deck and it will not be.
Larger amberjack, in many parts of the world, are more likely to carry parasites in the flesh. That is normal for the species and a good fillet knife deals with it, but it is a reason we tend to keep a mid-sized fish for the table and release the largest ones. We take what we will eat and put the rest back.
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.
