Fishing the East Cape in Baja?

[jamesfromseattle]

This may be a bit of a long shot, but has anyone fished fished around La Ribera or Los Barriles in Baja?

I'll be down there later this month with the family, but was hoping to sneak out and fish for a day. Looking for a panga or something like that but am not really sure where to start. I'll also bring some surf gear.

If anyone has fished down there recently, any advice would be appreciated!

[3boys]

Van Wormers has great options. A friend has been fishing with them for 20+ years with great success.

[jamesfromseattle]

Awesome, thanks. Looks like a legit operation.

[EnglishSetter]

I've only fished a marlin tourney out of Los Barillos several years ago.  July was HUMID.  Very different than Cabo in it was essentially desert meets the sea. 



We chartered a local marlin cruiser, so not much help there.

[Fishmaker57]

Have a buddy that guides out of La Ribera. He has guided on the Columbia for years, and is first class.

bajabradsportfishing.com

[Fidelk]

Thanks for starting this thread......would like to go to Panama to fish big Dorado........Baja is probably a more sensible option, so monitoring.

[Seabass]

This may be a bit of a long shot, but has anyone fished fished around La Ribera or Los Barriles in Baja?

I'll be down there later this month with the family, but was hoping to sneak out and fish for a day. Looking for a panga or something like that but am not really sure where to start. I'll also bring some surf gear.

If anyone has fished down there recently, any advice would be appreciated!

I hired a guide and panga out of Rancho Leonero a few years back. It was awesome!

[jamesfromseattle]

Thanks everyone. Got a lot more responses than I was expecting!

Reached out to Brad to see about doing a beach trip if he’s down there that time of year—as someone who gets seasick, the idea of catching big fish off the beach sounds awesome.

Also got lined up with panga captain out of La Ribera whose English is much better than my Spanish. Pretty excited to fish, and I hope the weather cooperates.

Will be taking a surf rod with a bunch of crazy looking poppers and crank baits. Planning on having something ready to cast if I see something cruise by while the kids are playing in the sand on the beach.

In the future, I’m pretty interested in doing a trip with the bros to Van Wormers. Looks like a perfect spot to hang out and fish hard. In the past I’ve loved going to Alaska and BC for guys trips, but a trip to Baja pencils out at about half the price…so I hope I like it down there. This trip is going to be more family focused for me, though.

[3boys]

Make sure to report back on how it goes.  I will be in Cabo next month 3 times but only for a day each so probably won’t fish.
Hope to be down there for 2 weeks in January.

[Rutnbuxnbulls]

My wife and I fished near there and my kids and I fished a different time there.  I use Fishing Booker app to find guys or go to local shops and book trips. The Sea of Cortez is usually super calm so sea sickness isn’t likely. Trip with wife was onshore/local and we both landed big Rooster. Kids trip was a bit further out and we caught dorado, a huge rooster, and another fish that ate well but forgot the name!
Good times report back. Heading to Costa Rica in January looking forward to some surf fishing and a chartered trip!

[Elkman]

Gone the last 3 years, Van Wormer Resorts is great, we stay at Hotel Playa del Sol, the smaller of the 2 hotels.
Catching Mahi in the bay is the easiest fishing I have ever done, or go around the points for rock fish. going to have to run out deep for Tuna.

[Night goat]

Van Wormers has great options. A friend has been fishing with them for 20+ years with great success.

I 2nd van wormer! I got a 8 foot marlin on my wall I caught at hotel punta Colorada 20+ years ago, Ive been wanting to go to playa del sol or los palmas for years….. top notch

Not as cheap as it used to be though

[cohoho]

PM me for a great option, I go to Los Barillies about three times a year for the past 10 years.   I know a local lady (Gringo) that runs an outfit with some of the most fishy captains in Baja.  She also has a small 10 bedroom condo and an awesome bar and excellent swimming pool.  Gets you away from the way overpriced Hotels/Drinks on the beach.   

[EnglishSetter]

PM me for a great option, I go to Los Barillies about three times a year for the past 10 years.   I know a local lady (Gringo) that runs an outfit with some of the most fishy captains in Baja.  She also has a small 10 bedroom condo and an awesome bar and excellent swimming pool.  Gets you away from the way overpriced Hotels/Drinks on the beach.

Some nice bolt-ons in Los Barriles:

https://fishingbooker.com/charters/view/13692?booking_days=1&booking_persons=2&booking_children=0&gallery_position=0&gallery=scroll

[jamesfromseattle]

Following up with a quick report. Awesome time in the East Cape. There were a ton of northwesterners down there, and I understand why.

Fishing was “slow” according to everyone I talked to, but seemed good to me. Went out on a panga for a morning and caught a yellowfin tuna and a few Spanish mackerel. Sounds like this was a pretty typical morning recently. I don’t have any fish pics because it was pretty rough and I was hanging on for dear life and trying not to puke. It sounds like the northerly winds are common this time of year. No big ocean swell, but there was the same type of small swell plus short chop we get in the straits on a rough day.

Also fished some off the beach when it wasn’t blowing too hard. Hooked into what I believe was a big jack and something else I never saw, but I didn’t land anything.

100% likely I’ll go back. Will try to time it for the calmer months to fish pez gallo and dorado off the beach. Unique place where you can catch big fish in sight of land. Everywhere we went felt safe and people were friendly, despite my terrible attempts at speaking high school level Spanish.

The panga captain I went with was really good, despite my not having any idea how this type of fishing works. He doesn’t advertise online and so I’m not sure if he wants me posting his info publicly, but if anyone else is looking for a charter in La Ribera, let me know and I’ll send you his info.

It was a little tricky getting around without good Spanish because there aren’t really any road signs and there’s bad cell reception. Will either make an effort to study more before the next trip.