Three Great Baja Trailer-boat Expeditions

There are upwards of 20 places in Baja California where it's possible to launch a substantial trailer-boat, and nearly all of them are close to outstanding fishing. But there's more to a great trailer-boat destination than good fishing and a place to put a boat in the water. The very best, to my way of thinking, are places a little off the beaten path, without nearby airports or big charter fleets — places, in other words, that reward the do-it-yourself spirit and healthy sense of adventure required for trailer-boating Baja. Here are three of my favorite below-the-border trailer-boat trips:

Mulegé for Winter/Spring Yellowtail

The Fishing: Sure, the winter and spring yellowtail fishing out of Loreto may be more famous, but that's only because Loreto has an airport and a lot of sportfishing operations. The fishing out of Mulegé is just as good, and you'll never have to contend, on the water or off, with anything that could be called a crowd.

In mid- or late December, bruiser yellowtail show up en masse around Isla San Marcos, Punta Chivato, the Islas Santa Inés and Punta Concepcíon and stick around until April. Occasionally you'll get smaller fish under 20 lbs., but they typically run between 20 and 30, and 40-pounders aren't uncommon.

During the early part of the season, they're usually down deep in 150 to 250 feet of water, and the best way to get them is by drifting live mackerel or caballitos on dropper-loop rigs. There's no bait for sale here; catch your own at sunup just north of the light at the river mouth. "Yo-yoing" heavy metal jigs like Salas 6Xs or 6X Jrs. is another option, although it's a lot more labor-intensive. Again, these are big, powerful fish, so leave the light gear at home. Even with 40- or 50-lb. gear, you'll lose a lot of fish to the rocks when fishing deep.

Later in the season, when the fish move up in the water column and begin feeding on or near the surface, look for boils and working birds and work flylined live baits or cast and retrieve "surface iron" jigs like Tady 45s.

The Logistics: Mulegé is about 625 highway miles below the border — allow at least 14 hours. Stay steps from the launch ramp at the Hotel Serenidad (011-52-615-153-0530; serenidad.com), which has a good restaurant and secure parking. A big Pemex station a mile from the hotel has both gas and diesel, plus ice, water, sodas, beer and snacks. They'll also let you wash down your boat with their hose.

Mulegé proper is a pleasant little oasis of a town with several well-stocked markets (Saul's is the best), a good bar and grill called Pelican Reef (where you can usually get a firsthand fishing report), and numerous restaurants, the best of which is Los Equipales. There's also surprisingly good shopping for such a small town.

The launch itself isn't bad on the top half of the tide, but at low tide you often can't get out of the river mouth to deep water — or back in — so plan your departure and arrival accordingly. Realistically, you want a 23-footer or less here. Fortunately, the fishing grounds at the Islas Santa Inés, Punta Chivato and Punta Concepción are just 10 to 15 miles away.

With good weather, you can also venture up to the north of end of Isla San Marcos, out to Isla Tortuga, or down to Isla San Ildefonso. Be careful, though, especially when fishing "down" the Cortez. In winter and spring, strong afternoon northerlies are common here, so keep an eye on the horizon and head for home when you see whitecaps on the way.

San Quintín for Summer Seabass

The Fishing: Actually, San Quintín has good summer fishing for a whole smorgasbord of species, both inshore and offshore, but the white seabass fishing is downright phenomenal. It bears little resemblance to the kind of white seabass fishing most of us are accustomed to — lines in the water before first light, waiting hour after hour for a pod of fish to come through, being really happy to get even one on the boat.

Here, for whatever reason, the seabass bite just as well in the middle of the day as at dawn and dusk, and there are a lot of them. It's not uncommon to get two or three or more seabass per rod here, and there are plenty of 40-lb.-plus whoppers mixed in. Plus, they're usually caught in areas where yellowtail, calico and sand bass, bonito and barracuda are also frequent catches, so you won't be just sitting and waiting between seabass bites. 

Live mackerel, either flylined or fished on a dropper loop, are consistently productive, but you'll also catch plenty of fish on lures like large Krocodiles and heavy "yo-yo" jigs. Mackerel are easy to catch just inside and just outside the mouth of the bay. Typically, the seabass here are hooked in fairly open water, so you can get away with relatively light tackle — 25- or 30-lb.

Focus your efforts outside the kelp line along the gently curving coast south of the bay mouth. Drift over areas with a hard, rocky bottom while watching for working birds, which usually mark large schools of mackerel feeding on tiny baitfish — and, more often than not, big seabass feeding on the mackerel.

The Logistics: At about 200 miles — or 5 hours — below the border, San Quintín can reasonably be done in a three-day weekend from Southern California. Stay at Don Eddie's Landing (011-52-616-165-6061; doneddies.com), which, like the Serenidad in Mulegé, is steps from the launch ramp. There's plenty of parking at Don Eddie's, as well as a boat wash area and an upstairs restaurant/bar with a great view.

The launch is on Bahía San Quintín at the end of a bouncy 3-mile dirt road that turns right off the highway just south of the town of San Quintín. Ice, water, soda, beer and snacks are available from a little market right at the ramp, but consider stocking up in town, where everything is cheaper. There's no fuel available out at the bay, but there's a Pemex with gas and diesel on the right at the very southern end of town.

The ramp here can handle any boat you'd care to tow down at all but the lowest tides, but the bay is shallow with a narrow, winding channel that can be tricky to follow. Consider hiring a local guide to pilot your boat out the first time (and mark the route on your GPS for future trips), or just follow the usual line of boats down the channel in the morning. The bar at the mouth of the bay can also be intimidating at first.

Often, you'll find white seabass biting just a few miles from the bay, but you may have to run as much as 15 miles down the coast. Another option is to head northwest to Isla San Martín, about 8 miles from the bay. The offshore fishing is often quite close as well — just 10 or 15 miles out — but sometimes it's as much as 50 miles out to the blue water.

Mag Bay for Late Fall Marlin

The Fishing: The annual "pileup" of striped marlin off Bahía Magdalena is growing increasingly — and justifiably — famous. In November and December, the marlin action here is what's called in fishing lingo "silly." The stripers actually school up in groups as big as a dozen fish, and skilled crews fishing hard sometimes release 20 or more in a day. Even inexperienced marlin anglers can get them here.

The productive grounds stretch from below Punta Tosca, at the southern end of greater Magdalena Bay, up to Thetis Bank, off Cabo San Lázaro, and from there on up the roughly north-south line of offshore banks commonly known as The Ridge. Check sea-surface-temperature charts like those from Terrafin.com to narrow your search.

This area is also well-known for wahoo, and they're usually around at the same time of year as the marlin. So are lots of dorado and yellowfin tuna. The dorado and tuna will hit the same 6- to 12-inch trolling jigs as the marlin; for the wahoo, run plugs like Braid Marauders on cable leaders. Obviously, live bait will work for all of these species as well; where to catch it depends on where you choose to stay.

The Logistics: The best way to fish Mag Bay's offshore waters is to stay at one of two boat-in "camps" on Bahía Santa María, a well-protected bay on the "outside" of one of the barrier islands protecting Mag Bay. There's good anchorage just off both camps, and camp staff will ferry you and your gear back and forth to shore. From Santa María, the action is sometimes as little as 10 miles away. 

The camps — operated by Mag Bay Outfitters (877-621-2252 or 011-52-613-131-5279; magbayoutfitters.com) based in Puerto López Mateos, and Mag Bay Tours (215-285-8132; magbaytours.com), based in San Carlos — both offer rustic but comfortable accommodations, meals, water, soda and beer. Bring plenty of your own ice. From either San Carlos or López Mateos, it's an approximately 50-mile run to Santa María, so you may also need to bring extra fuel. Both operations will deliver fuel, but there's a fee. 

It's a bit over 800 miles, or around 20 hours, to either town. Supplies and ice are available in both. Gas and diesel are available in San Carlos, but only gas in López Mateos. If you need diesel, load up in Ciudad Insurgentes, 25 miles short. It's possible to launch boats up to about 25 feet in both San Carlos and López, Mateos, but you may need to wait for the right tide.

SIDEBAR: On the Road

We've all heard horror stories about driving on Mexican Highway 1, but remember that hordes of octogenarians somehow manage to safely pilot their giant RVs up and down it every year. Realistically, you can tow anything with a beam of 8'6" or less all the way to Cabo. Yes, the road is narrower than you're accustomed to, and yes, it is inconsistently signed, and yes, it does wash out from time to time. But take it slow, keep your eyes on the road, stop often to stretch your legs and have a taco, and you'll be fine. 

In addition to a boat permit and individual fishing permits, you'll need Mexican insurance for both your tow vehicle and boat/trailer; it's available at numerous little kiosks near the border in Chula Vista or through Baja travel clubs like Vagabundos del Mar and Discover Baja. You'll also need a Mexican Tourist Visa, available at the border, and a passport.

There are plenty of good sources of information about the road itself, the services and accommodations along it, and how to prepare for a trip. The AAA guidebook to Baja California is indispensable, as is the AAA road map. Membership in one of the travel clubs (required anyway to purchase insurance) is also more than worth the price; the experienced Baja travelers you can meet online or in person are the best resource of all.