Magdalena Bay Report

Mag Bay has been on my radar since my first trip to Baja in 2020. When a friend reached out last fall to see if I wanted to join him, it was an easy yes. The plan was 2 days of striped marlin fishing and 2 days inshore for roosters and other fun species. I woke up last Sunday to a really cool sunrise - always a good omen for my fishing trips.



We spent the night in Phoenix and flew into Loreto Monday morning.



Our ride was waiting for us when we cleared customs. Only problem was a low right rear tire. It was an interesting detour for me. I even saw some tires I worked on 30 years ago mounted up and ready to be installed - crazy.



Once in Loreto we checked into our hotel and met our guide in the terrace restaurant to discuss the plan. First day was marlin and roosters. I was hoping for a smallish marlin and a big rooster to avenge the one I lost in 2020. Two boxes checked on day 1!













Was so excited about the rooster I forgot to at least take the hood off my hat!

 

[SurfnFish]

Anyone ever do a camping trip to remote corners of Baja? Places like Laguna San Ignacio and Punta Abreojos?

Have 6 months or more of combined time surfing camping in Baja during the 60's - 80's from just south of the border all the way down the coast to the tip and around to the southeast cape where a surf buddy ended up building a home near Shipwrecks, a summer break. After surfing days, we'd hang out on the beach in front of his house drinking Pacifico's in the evening, waiting for something to grab one of the baited poles stuck in a sand holder, and something always did.
During those surf trips up and down the west coast we pretty much lived on fish w/rice and beans, either banging inshore smallies snorkeling around the reef areas with a Hawaiian sling, or tossing Mickey Mouse jigs out into the surf with a MH spinning outfit. We quickly learned to bring lots of extra line, lures and reels as more than once we'd hook up some brute that would immediately burn outta there, taking line and lure with it.
San Ignacio area was a fave in the 70's and 80's, home of the Seven Sisters fall/winter point breaks. If the conditions were right, we'd give a lobster fisherman we became friends with a few bucks worth of Peso's to boat us to one of the upper points which were inaccessible by vehicle, where we'd surf while he pulled his traps and reset them. If he had a good haul he'd sell us lobsters for less than a $1 each when he dropped us off back at camp. Back then we could go a week without seeing another surfer, these days dozens of surfers hang out during winter.
We never scored Punta Abreojos good enough to want to hang there long.
Scorpion Bay was another fave, fickle as it needs a boomer swell to really light up, so much fun when it does. Another place that became a major destination for surfers.
Surfed with Davey Hilton of Hilton Hotels at the tip in early 70's, he had stories of flying into Baja during high school with Jim Arness (Gunsmoke lead and highly enthusiastic surfer) and his son Rolf, who would become world surf champ in 1970, on a plane set-up for beach landings. Among their fave's was surfing Isla Magdalena, told of a perfect right hand break reeling off the SW end of the island on big west swells. To this day have never seen pictures of it, very rare in what has become a fully exposed surfing world.
I've been fortunate to surf travel around the world, and Baja and Western Oz, in some ways almost mirror images of each other, are at the top of my favorite places on earth.

 

[adamcu280]

Anyone ever do a camping trip to remote corners of Baja? Places like Laguna San Ignacio and Punta Abreojos?

This was my experience last year. Not super remote but I'd love to do something a bit more feral at some point. https://pnwflyfishing.com/forum/ind...n-i-was-three-weeks-younger.9290/#post-211707

 

[alpinetrout]

I fished Mag Bag the first week of November out of Lopez Mateos. It was a quick turn and burn back north after making the drive to my house near Todos Santos a few days earlier. Unfortunately, while the marlin fishing was going off down south near San Carlos, we had rougher ocean conditions and no bait balls. The dorado fishing was lights out though. We had 2 days when we couldn't go offshore and had to fish the mangroves, which was predominantly a spotted bass, grouper, and white snook program.

 

[SurfnFish]

I fished Mag Bag the first week of November out of Lopez Mateos. It was a quick turn and burn back north after making the drive to my house near Todos Santos a few days earlier. Unfortunately, while the marlin fishing was going off down south near San Carlos, we had rougher ocean conditions and no bait balls. The dorado fishing was lights out though. We had 2 days when we couldn't go offshore and had to fish the mangroves, which was predominantly a spotted bass, grouper, and white snook program.

ever run into my friend Lee Leatherman at Todos, where he's had a place for years?

 

[CanoeGuy]

I fished Mag Bag the first week of November out of Lopez Mateos. It was a quick turn and burn back north after making the drive to my house near Todos Santos a few days earlier. Unfortunately, while the marlin fishing was going off down south near San Carlos, we had rougher ocean conditions and no bait balls. The dorado fishing was lights out though. We had 2 days when we couldn't go offshore and had to fish the mangroves, which was predominantly a spotted bass, grouper, and white snook program.

Jeff thought he saw a dorado - 1

 

[alpinetrout]

ever run into my friend Lee Leatherman at Todos, where he's had a place for years?

That name doesn't ring a bell, but expats in TS practically outnumber locals.

 

[SurfnFish]

That name doesn't ring a bell, but expats in TS practically outnumber locals.

I've heard..first went there one late fall in the 70's to surf La Pastora, went back in the later 80's and even then it had grown 4x. Apparently a recent road build makes it an an easier drive there for the east cape crew now as well.

 

[alpinetrout]

I've heard..first went there one late fall in the 70's to surf La Pastora, went back in the later 80's and even then it had grown 4x. Apparently a recent road build makes it an an easier drive there for the east cape crew now as well.

Hwy 19 between Todos and Cabo is 4-lane divided highway now with nearly zero potholes. It's better than a lot of the roads north of the border. North of La Paz is a different story, but they did a ton of work last winter and fixed most of the brutal pothole sections.