Yellowtail are a cold water fish in a warm water town. They show up when the water drops, they pull like a fish twice their size, and they are among the best eating anything that swims off this coast. Winter into spring is when we go looking. Bring your arms.
Most of what Cabo is known for wants warm blue water. Yellowtail are the opposite. They come with the cooler months, generally from around December through into spring, and the colder the water pushes up from the Pacific side the better our chances get.
That makes them a good reason to fish here in a season people overlook. When the marlin and dorado fishing is at its quietest, the yellowtail fishing is often at its best. Some years are much better than others, and it tracks the water temperature more than the calendar. We would rather tell you it depends than promise you a fish.
Structure on the Pacific side, mainly. Rock pinnacles, high spots, the ridges off the cape and the reefs running up the coast toward Todos Santos. Yellowtail are a schooling fish that holds on structure and moves along it, so time on the sounder is time well spent.
We look for bait first. Find a mass of bait sitting over a high spot in cool water and the yellowtail are usually not far off. Birds working over the top of a spot are worth a long look.
Jigging is the method most days. Heavy metal jigs dropped to the structure and worked back up fast, or slow-pitch jigs when the fish are being fussy. A yellowtail hits a jig hard enough that beginners often let go of the rod. That is a fair reaction and we tell people to expect it.
Live bait works too, fished on a dropper or flylined depending on the current. Sardines when we can get them. On a good day the fish will take almost anything. On a slow day, live bait and a light leader out-fish everything else.
We fish braid with a fluorocarbon leader, and firm drags. The fish is going to try for the rock.
Yellowtail fight in a way that surprises people who have caught bigger fish elsewhere. It is not a long run. It is a sudden, powerful, downward burst, repeated, and it does not tire out in the way a tuna does. A twenty pound yellowtail on jigging gear is real work.
They are also very good at breaking you off. The first ten seconds decide most of it, exactly as with the amberjack and the snappers. Lock up and lift, or lose it.
This is the reason a lot of people book the trip. Yellowtail are excellent eating. Firm, clean, slightly rich, and outstanding raw. Cut into blocks within hours of coming aboard it is as good a piece of sashimi as you will get anywhere, and it grills and smokes beautifully.
Two things matter, and both happen on the boat. Bleed the fish immediately and get it into ice slurry. A yellowtail that has been left on a hot deck for an hour is a completely different and much worse fish than the same one handled properly. Our crew will do it as a matter of course.
We keep yellowtail without hesitation. They are relatively abundant here and they grow faster than the grouper and snappers, so a reasonable cooler is not a problem. We still stop when we have enough. Cleaning and bagging at the marina is standard, and if you want it packed for a flight home we will fillet it properly, vacuum seal it and freeze it. Pricing and turnaround are 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.
