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Economical freezer-filling rockfish trips
Long-range season begins with a bang
(left): A pair of solid good-eating vermilion rockfish caught aboard the Premier in 500-feet of water within half-day range.
(right): Nice start to long-range season for the Excel with this cow yellowfin tuna hauled aboard during their 10-day run south off the southern third of Baja.
(right): Nice start to long-range season for the Excel with this cow yellowfin tuna hauled aboard during their 10-day run south off the southern third of Baja.
Dock Totals 11/3 – 11/9: 1033 anglers aboard 46 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 18 bluefin tuna, 15 bocaccio, 10 bonito, 99 lingcod, 7 rock crab, 4908 rockfish, 23 sand bass, 40 sculpin, 14 sheephead, 15 spiny lobster (84 released), 321 whitefish, 222 yellowfin tuna (up to 90 pounds), and 26 yellowtail.
Saltwater: Deep water rockfish continues to be the focus for the short run fleet in local waters, but there are still some decent yellowfin and bluefin in Mexican waters within 3-day range. And this is the first week in a long time that no calico bass made the counts without a major weather event causing a days-long shutdown. That's likely due to the cooling trend that is slowing fishing on the kelp edge, while rockfish in 300 to 600 feet of water are biting very well. Boats running extended half-day to full-day trips have been slaying the bottom fish on a fairly regular basis. This is a great time to stock up on filets on an economical fishing trip for under $100. The Premier, for example, is offering extended half-day deep-water rockfish runs from 8am to 3pm for just $80.
A few boats running 1.5 to 3-day outings are heading west toward the outer banks and San Clemente Island in search of the larger bluefin and yellowtail — with mixed results. Boats heading out to the Corner and south toward the banks off Ensenada to San Quintin have been finding decent yellowfin fishing, with a few yellowtail and an occasional bluefin in the mix. Lingcod and rockfish have been rounding out the counts on those trips when the pelagic action slows. All in all, it has been a good season within our 3-day zone as we head into the beginning of long-range season.
As the weather cools mid-fall, long-range fishing heats up off the southern Baja peninsula. The boats suited for longer runs are transitioning from 3-day trips to 7- to 10-day runs further south from Cedros Island to the Ridge and other high spots where yellowfin tuna, dorado, and wahoo are common targets. As noted in last week’s report, our offshore pelagic fishery changes year to year, but one constant has been the late fall and winter long-range fishing down south. The closer you get to the tropics, the more consistent the fishing tends to be for the migrating species that spend most of their time where water remains warmer.
On these long-range trips lasting from 7 to 16 days, anglers can hope to be rewarded with the catch of a lifetime. In spite of the larger-than-normal yellowfin closer to San Diego this year, hauling in a cow yellowfin tuna over 300 pounds is really only possible in the waters off the southern third of Baja. Given the length of the trip, the first few days may be spent traveling, with maybe a stop or two if some action pops up. A surprise school of bluefin or some good grade yellowtail may provide a pleasant diversion for a couple hours, but the ultimate goal is to get south to the target area. Regardless of the length of the trip, anglers may keep three day’s limits, and often, when limits of tuna and wahoo are caught early, boats will switch up and target other species like pargo, grouper, and even halibut and yellowtail as they work their way north.
Long-range fishing is not a cheap endeavor, as maintaining, licensing, insuring, fueling, and operating a large sportfishing vessel is costly, and ticket prices reflect that. The average 10-day trip will run about $5,000 per angler, plus tip and fish processing. But the allure of catching yellowfin tuna up to 300 pounds draws many, and these trips usually sell out in advance. Long-range season brings in snowbirds from colder climes as well, seeking the oft-glassy seas and the warmth of near-tropical weather. A week or two off the southern Baja coast can be a great escape from the wintertime blues. So far this season, the long-range boats have been killing it. The Excel reported a great start to their 10-day run on Sunday, with several yellowfin caught to just over 300 pounds.
Another option for fishing southern Baja is to drive or fly down and hire a local operator. This can generally be done for less money than a long-range trip, though local operations in Baja usually do not venture more than 30 miles from the port of departure for day trips, so spots like Alijos Rocks that are further offshore are not an option the way they can be on a long-range trip. That said, when living in Bahia Asuncion, I have seen long-range boats out of San Diego fishing within kayak range of my launch point and a lot of what is targeted on long-range trips can be caught within a short panga or cruiser run from most Pacific-side southern Baja towns from Guerrero Negro to San Jose del Cabo. My friend Captain Juan Cook spends much of this time of year running out of Lopez Mateos in Bahia Magdelena, and is currently fishing the Ridge with great results on yellowfin and wahoo.
Full-day runs on a super panga or cruiser can run from $600 to $1200 in that region, but for that price, you will be fishing in the same area many of the vessels of the San Diego-based long-range fleet target. Either option can be great: heading down on your own to fish, enjoy local cuisine, camp, and explore; or riding a sportboat down and enjoying great fishing day and night — and also world-class dining and no vehicle worries or other issues that can arise when driving the rough roads of Baja. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there, so go out and get ‘em!
Here's something you might be interested in.
Economical freezer-filling rockfish trips
Long-range season begins with a bang
Economical freezer-filling rockfish trips
Long-range season begins with a bang
(left): A pair of solid good-eating vermilion rockfish caught aboard the Premier in 500-feet of water within half-day range.
(right): Nice start to long-range season for the Excel with this cow yellowfin tuna hauled aboard during their 10-day run south off the southern third of Baja.
(right): Nice start to long-range season for the Excel with this cow yellowfin tuna hauled aboard during their 10-day run south off the southern third of Baja.
Dock Totals 11/3 – 11/9: 1033 anglers aboard 46 half-day to 3-day trips out of San Diego landings over the past week caught 18 bluefin tuna, 15 bocaccio, 10 bonito, 99 lingcod, 7 rock crab, 4908 rockfish, 23 sand bass, 40 sculpin, 14 sheephead, 15 spiny lobster (84 released), 321 whitefish, 222 yellowfin tuna (up to 90 pounds), and 26 yellowtail.
Saltwater: Deep water rockfish continues to be the focus for the short run fleet in local waters, but there are still some decent yellowfin and bluefin in Mexican waters within 3-day range. And this is the first week in a long time that no calico bass made the counts without a major weather event causing a days-long shutdown. That's likely due to the cooling trend that is slowing fishing on the kelp edge, while rockfish in 300 to 600 feet of water are biting very well. Boats running extended half-day to full-day trips have been slaying the bottom fish on a fairly regular basis. This is a great time to stock up on filets on an economical fishing trip for under $100. The Premier, for example, is offering extended half-day deep-water rockfish runs from 8am to 3pm for just $80.
A few boats running 1.5 to 3-day outings are heading west toward the outer banks and San Clemente Island in search of the larger bluefin and yellowtail — with mixed results. Boats heading out to the Corner and south toward the banks off Ensenada to San Quintin have been finding decent yellowfin fishing, with a few yellowtail and an occasional bluefin in the mix. Lingcod and rockfish have been rounding out the counts on those trips when the pelagic action slows. All in all, it has been a good season within our 3-day zone as we head into the beginning of long-range season.
As the weather cools mid-fall, long-range fishing heats up off the southern Baja peninsula. The boats suited for longer runs are transitioning from 3-day trips to 7- to 10-day runs further south from Cedros Island to the Ridge and other high spots where yellowfin tuna, dorado, and wahoo are common targets. As noted in last week’s report, our offshore pelagic fishery changes year to year, but one constant has been the late fall and winter long-range fishing down south. The closer you get to the tropics, the more consistent the fishing tends to be for the migrating species that spend most of their time where water remains warmer.
On these long-range trips lasting from 7 to 16 days, anglers can hope to be rewarded with the catch of a lifetime. In spite of the larger-than-normal yellowfin closer to San Diego this year, hauling in a cow yellowfin tuna over 300 pounds is really only possible in the waters off the southern third of Baja. Given the length of the trip, the first few days may be spent traveling, with maybe a stop or two if some action pops up. A surprise school of bluefin or some good grade yellowtail may provide a pleasant diversion for a couple hours, but the ultimate goal is to get south to the target area. Regardless of the length of the trip, anglers may keep three day’s limits, and often, when limits of tuna and wahoo are caught early, boats will switch up and target other species like pargo, grouper, and even halibut and yellowtail as they work their way north.
Long-range fishing is not a cheap endeavor, as maintaining, licensing, insuring, fueling, and operating a large sportfishing vessel is costly, and ticket prices reflect that. The average 10-day trip will run about $5,000 per angler, plus tip and fish processing. But the allure of catching yellowfin tuna up to 300 pounds draws many, and these trips usually sell out in advance. Long-range season brings in snowbirds from colder climes as well, seeking the oft-glassy seas and the warmth of near-tropical weather. A week or two off the southern Baja coast can be a great escape from the wintertime blues. So far this season, the long-range boats have been killing it. The Excel reported a great start to their 10-day run on Sunday, with several yellowfin caught to just over 300 pounds.
Another option for fishing southern Baja is to drive or fly down and hire a local operator. This can generally be done for less money than a long-range trip, though local operations in Baja usually do not venture more than 30 miles from the port of departure for day trips, so spots like Alijos Rocks that are further offshore are not an option the way they can be on a long-range trip. That said, when living in Bahia Asuncion, I have seen long-range boats out of San Diego fishing within kayak range of my launch point and a lot of what is targeted on long-range trips can be caught within a short panga or cruiser run from most Pacific-side southern Baja towns from Guerrero Negro to San Jose del Cabo. My friend Captain Juan Cook spends much of this time of year running out of Lopez Mateos in Bahia Magdelena, and is currently fishing the Ridge with great results on yellowfin and wahoo.
Full-day runs on a super panga or cruiser can run from $600 to $1200 in that region, but for that price, you will be fishing in the same area many of the vessels of the San Diego-based long-range fleet target. Either option can be great: heading down on your own to fish, enjoy local cuisine, camp, and explore; or riding a sportboat down and enjoying great fishing day and night — and also world-class dining and no vehicle worries or other issues that can arise when driving the rough roads of Baja. Whether the beach, bay, lake, or offshore, they’re out there, so go out and get ‘em!
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