Baja's Spring Bite: Calicos, Dorado, and Roosters Heat Up

Baja Fishing Report: Summer Heat Brings Marlin, Tuna, and Roosterfish Action

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Baja fishing report. Up and down the peninsula, conditions are lining up nicely. Along the Pacific side from Ensenada to Punta Baja, we’ve had a gentle west swell and light morning winds, with a bit more breeze filling in by mid‑afternoon. Skies have been mostly clear to partly cloudy, and the marine layer has been burning off early, so you’re getting good sun on the water once the morning fog lifts. On the Sea of Cortez side—Loreto, La Paz, down to Cabo Pulmo—seas have been relatively calm early with a bit of chop as the day goes on, water temps pushing into that warm, blue summer range that really kicks pelagics into gear. Tides around much of Baja today are running on a moderate swing: softer movement in the early morning, building into a healthier push through late morning and again toward sunset. That late morning and late afternoon window has been the sweet spot, especially around structure and current edges. First light and last light remain prime, with sunrise and sunset giving you those classic low‑angle light conditions when the bigger fish feel bold and slide shallower. Offshore out of Cabo and San José del Cabo, anglers have been into solid striped marlin, with a few blue marlin sniffing around the deeper temp breaks. Yellowfin tuna schools are roaming outside the banks; the grade has been mixed, footballs to mid‑grade fish, with the better ones coming on slow‑trolled live baits and well‑placed chunks. Dorado are finally showing more consistently on the warmer, cleaner breaks and around floating debris and sargassum lines, with a decent pick of gaff‑size fish. Best lures offshore have been classic skirted trolling heads in bright green‑yellow, purple‑black, and petrolero patterns, pulled at a moderate pace. Cedar plugs and small feathers in blue‑white and zucchini have been producing tuna and dorado when you slide in near bird life. Live caballito, sardina, and mackerel remain king—slow‑trolled or fly‑lined back into breezers and under bird schools. On the Sea of Cortez side near La Paz and Loreto, boats are getting a nice mix of dorado, a few wahoo on the edges, and some solid roosterfish cruising the beaches. Roosters have been hammering big live baits slow‑trolled tight to the sand, plus surface poppers and stickbaits in bone, white, and mullet patterns worked fast with a bit of pause. Light to medium spinning gear with 40–60 lb leader is the ticket there; these pez gallo are mean and love to dog you in the shore break. Inshore and nearshore, from Todos Santos down around the Pacific points, there’s been steady action on yellowtail, cabrilla, and jacks hanging tight to reefs, points, and high‑relief structure. Iron has been the star: yo‑yo and surface jigs in scrambled egg, blue‑white, and mint, dropped to the marks and ripped back fast. Live mackerel and sardina on dropper loops or fly‑lined near the surface have been producing the heavier models. For bottom dwellers—snapper and grouper—fish cut bait, squid, or live baits right on the stones; stay patient and be ready to winch hard. If you’re looking for a couple of hot spots right now: – Offshore banks like Gordo Banks and the 1150 outside San José del Cabo are holding marlin, tuna, and dorado when you find the right water color and temp line. – On the Sea of Cortez side, the areas off Punta Arenas and around Isla Cerralvo are producing dorado, wahoo, and some quality roosterfish, especially on days with decent current and bait present. Work those tide changes, watch the bird life, and don’t be afraid to adjust depth and lure size until you connect. Baja is in that pattern where every day can hand you a surprise if you stay flexible and keep an eye on the water instead of the clock. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Baja Early Summer: Roosterfish, Marlin, and Perfect Tides from Ensenada to Cabo

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Baja fishing report. Up and down the peninsula, we’ve got classic early‑summer conditions. Along the Pacific side from Ensenada to Todos Santos, mornings are starting cool and gray with a shallow marine layer, light west breeze 5–10 knots, and afternoon bump building to 12–15. Air temps are running mid‑60s at first light, climbing into the high‑70s by midafternoon. On the Sea of Cortez side around La Paz, Los Barriles, and Cabo Pulmo, it’s warmer and calmer at dawn, with a light southeast breeze and air pushing low‑90s by midday. Sunrise is right around early morning local time with sunset in the early evening, giving you a fat, bright fishing window. Tides are moderate; near La Paz and Cabo San Lucas we’ve got a predawn high sliding to a mid‑day low, then a solid afternoon push. That morning peak and the first two hours of the flood in the afternoon are your best bets for surface activity. Water temps offshore from Cabo up toward Los Cabos corridors are sitting in the mid‑70s to low‑80s, Sea of Cortez side even a touch warmer inshore. Cooler pockets and green water are still hanging along parts of the Pacific coast, but the warm fingers are pushing in tighter every day. Offshore out of Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, boats have been putting decent counts of school‑size yellowfin tuna on deck, with a few better grade mixed in. Dorado are showing more regularly now, mostly smaller “chickens” with a few respectable bulls around floating debris and current lines. Striped marlin remain the headliners on the banks and drop‑offs, with decent numbers tailing and free‑jumping when the wind lays down. A few sailfish and the odd blue marlin are starting to sniff around the temperature breaks. Inshore and nearshore, roosters are the main attraction along the sandy stretches from Cabo east to Los Barriles and up toward La Paz. Plenty of fish in the 10–25‑pound class, with bigger models cruising tight to the beach when the bait’s stacked in the gutters. Amberjack, pargo, and cabrilla are coming off the rocky points and reefs, especially where there’s good current and slightly off‑color water. On the Pacific side, there are still some yellowtail on the deeper structure and yo‑yo spots, though they’re more of an early‑morning game now. For lures, keep it simple and local. Offshore, run a spread of medium‑size skirted trolling lures in dark‑and‑bright combos—black/purple, petrolero, zucchini, and Mexican flag are putting fish in the boat. Cedar plugs and small feathers are still killers on school‑size tuna, especially when the birds are picking on scattered schools. A couple of rigged ballyhoo or caballito in the pattern will get the billfish’s attention when they’re shy on plastics. For bait, live caballito, sardina, and mackerel are gold. Slow‑trolled baits are producing marlin and bigger dorado on the edges of the banks and color changes. Inshore, live sardina pitched into nervous water is about as close as you get to a sure thing for roosters and jacks. When you can’t get live bait, a well‑worked surface plug or popper—white, bone, or blue over silver—will draw violent strikes from roosters and jacks in the skinny water. For the bottom fish, drop heavy jigs and knife jigs in blue/white or scrambled egg, or fish cut bait and live baits tight to structure with enough weight to stay vertical. A couple of hot spots to circle on the chart: first, the Gordo Banks off San Jose del Cabo. It’s been a solid all‑around zone with tuna, marlin, and some quality bottom fish when the current’s right. Second, the stretch from the Lighthouse at Cabo Falso around to Palmilla and then up toward Los Frailes—beautiful roosterfish beaches, scattered structure, and plenty of bait when the wind’s not howling. If you’re farther north, the reefs and humps off La Paz and around Isla Espiritu Santo are worth the run for dorado, pargo, and cabrilla. That’s the word from the water. Rig light for the mornings, be ready to bump up the tackle when the wind and sun come on, and always keep one rod ready for that mystery fish that blows up where you least expect it. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a report. This has been Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Baja Early Summer: Tuna, Roosters, and Prime Low-Light Windows

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Baja fishing report. We’ve got classic early-summer conditions up and down the peninsula. Light morning breeze, building northwest wind in the afternoons on both coasts. Air temps running mid‑70s to mid‑80s along the Pacific side, low 80s to low 90s in the Sea of Cortez. Skies mostly clear to partly cloudy, with the usual afternoon chop once that wind gets going. Tidewise, along the Pacific – Ensenada down through Todos Santos – we’re seeing moderate morning highs followed by a good outgoing during late morning and a pushing flood again toward sunset. Over in the Cortez – La Paz to Cabo Pulmo and up toward Loreto – the swing is milder but still enough current to stack bait on points and humps. Plan your inshore runs around that first couple hours of incoming and the last of the outgoing. Sunrise is coming early, roughly just after 6 a.m. local across most of Baja, with sunset a bit after 8 p.m. That gives you long low‑light windows – prime time for surface iron and poppers before the sun gets high and the water glasses off. Fish activity has been solid. Offshore from Cabo and the East Cape, boats are reporting good numbers of school‑size yellowfin tuna mixed with skipjack and the occasional dorado on temp breaks and under birds. Inshore, roosterfish have been cruising the beaches, especially where there’s small mullet and ballyhoo tight to the sand. Sierra are thinning but still around early, and there are plenty of snapper and cabrilla on rocky structure and reefs. Counts coming in from local captains and landings: most offshore boats are hanging 3–10 yellowfin per day when they find the right school, with a couple of bigger models in the mix. Dorado are more scattered but showing enough to keep things interesting – figure one or two per boat on an average run when you hit floating debris or weed lines. Inshore pangas working the right beaches have been seeing several shots at decent roosters per morning, with a few trophy fish released. Bottom guys are loading coolers with mixed pargo, triggerfish, and leopard grouper when the current lets them stay on the spot. Best lures right now: offshore, small to medium‑size tuna feathers in dark/bright combos, cedar plugs, and diving hardbaits in purple/black or blue/white. Keep a mid‑size popper and a 60–80 gram surface iron rigged for when tuna or dorado push bait to the top. Inshore, it’s hard to beat long‑casting stickbaits, chrome spoons, and small surface irons in mint, blue/white, or scrambled egg. Roosters are eating big, noisy poppers and live mullet; just remember, they’re more about the chase than the color. For the rocks, 1–3 ounce bucktail jigs tipped with strip bait, soft plastics on heavy jig heads, and stout live‑bait setups are doing work. Best bait: live sardina and mullet are gold if you can get them. Pilchards slow‑trolled or fly‑lined are producing tuna, dorado, and inshore gamefish. For the bottom, squid strips, cut mackerel, and chunk bait are all putting meat in the box when you find structure on your sounder. A couple of hot spots to keep on your radar: 1. The East Cape ridge lines and offshore banks – Gordo, Iman, and the nearby humps – are holding tuna, with dorado drifting along current edges and under floating structure. Work the temp breaks and bird schools and be ready to move until you see life. 2. The beaches between La Ribera and Cabo Pulmo are alive with roosters and jacks. Walk‑and‑cast at first light with poppers or flies, or slow‑troll live bait just outside the breakers and watch for that comb to rise. On the Pacific side, the stretch from Todos Santos down toward the Golden Gate and Jaime Banks continues to show life when the current and wind line up, with mixed tuna and the chance at early‑season billfish. That’s your Baja beat from Artificial Lure. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss the next report. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Baja Salt Report: Early Summer Bite, Marlin Banks Hot, Prime Feeding Windows at Dawn and Dusk

Name’s Artificial Lure, checking in with your Baja salt report. Up and down the peninsula, we’ve got classic early–summer conditions. Around Cabo San Lucas and the Corridor, dawn came in calm with light breezes out of the northwest and a modest Pacific swell rolling in. Air temps are starting cool but pushing into the high 80s and low 90s by midday, with that strong Baja sun punching hard. Humidity is up on the Sea of Cortez side, lighter and drier on the Pacific. Tides on both coasts are running a decent morning high, dropping to a midday low, then filling again toward sunset. That gives you two prime windows: first light through the first part of the outgoing, and again late afternoon as the water stacks back up. Pair that with a sunrise just after that early five‑o’clock hour and sunset in the early evening and you’ve got tight feeding windows; fish have been noticeably more active right around those changes. Off Cabo, the word from local pangas and charter skippers is steady action. Boats working the 95 and 1150 banks, plus the Gordo area, are finding **striped marlin** and a few early **blue marlin** pushing bait balls. The main meat bite has been **yellowfin tuna** in the football‑to‑40‑pound range, with the occasional bigger model, plus **dorado** showing more consistently, most in the 10–20 pound class. Inshore around the rocks you’ve got **roosterfish**, **sierra**, **amberjack**, and mixed **pargo/cabrilla** cooperating when the current’s right. Up the Sea of Cortez side out of La Paz and Bahia de los Sueños, skiffs are putting decent numbers of **schoolie tuna**, **skipjack**, and solid **snapper** and **grouper** on the decks. Mulegé and Loreto reports are classic summer Cortez: **yellowtail** hanging deeper over structure early, then sliding up when the tide moves; plus **triggerfish** and **pinto bass** keeping coolers honest. Lures and bait: offshore crews are doing best pulling **small to medium skirted lures** in darker patterns early—black/purple, petrolero, guacamaya—then swapping to **bright dorado colors** once the sun gets high. Cedar plugs, feathers, and small jet heads are still knocking tuna silly when you find the porpoise schools. For bait, **live caballito, mackerel, and sardina** are gold—slow‑trolled on light wire or drifted with a small sinker. Chunked skipjack and cut squid are putting tuna and snapper on the chew when they get finicky. Inshore, if you’re hunting roosters along the beaches from San Jose down toward the East Cape, toss **surface poppers, stickbaits, and big bucktail jigs** in white or bone, worked fast and loud. Fly guys are moving fish on large bunker‑style streamers in olive/white and tan/white. For bottom fish, **2–4 oz metal jigs** and butterfly jigs in blue/white or scrambled egg, plus **pinned‑on live baits**, are your best bet. Couple of local hot spots to circle on the map: - **The Gordo Banks (San Jose del Cabo side):** solid mixed bag lately—marlin up top, tuna mid‑water, and some nicer dorado on the edges. If the current’s pushing and there’s life on the meter, stick it out. - **The Lighthouse to Migrino stretch on the Pacific side of Cabo:** early‑morning inshore trolling and casting for roosters, sierra, and jacks, with a shot at a surprise wahoo when that water cleans up. If you’re running your own rig, time your runs to hit structure right on the tide changes, keep a couple of trolling rods ready, and never pass up working birds or breezing bait. The bite’s there if you put in the miles and pay attention to the water color and temps. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a Baja conditions update. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn

Baja's Spring Bite: Calicos, Dorado, and Roosters Heat Up

Artificial Lure here with your Baja California fishing report. We’ll start on the Pacific side around Ensenada, San Quintín, and Cedros. A weak morning high followed by a mid‑day drop has had the inshore current just lively enough to stack bait tight to the kelp and rocky points. Light breeze early, then a moderate northwest wind line building by afternoon, with a small, steady swell and good water clarity in the lee of points. Skies have been mostly clear with a cool marine layer at dawn, burning off fast. Sunrise has been early, with first light giving you that magic gray bite; sunset is late enough to make the evening tide change worth staying for. Inshore, the calico bass bite has been solid around kelp lines and boiler rocks, with mixed sandbass and a few chunky sheepshead in the mix. Anglers working 4–6 inch swimbaits in sardine and anchovy patterns, along with lead‑head plastics and light‑colored jerk shads, have been doing well. Live sardina and small mackerel pinned on a light fluorocarbon leader are still tough to beat, especially fished tight to structure with just enough weight to get down. Farther south off Punta Banda and San Quintín, rockfish and lingcod have been filling coolers. Boats dropping 6–10 ounce jigs, bucktails, and metal knife jigs in 150–250 feet have been picking reds, chuckleheads, and lingcod. Squid strips and cut mackerel on high‑low rigs are working when the current slows. Down the peninsula toward Bahía Magdalena and the Pacific side of the Cabo region, offshore water has been warming and blue, with scattered paddies holding yellowtail and the first consistent dorado of the season. Trolled skirted lures in blue‑white, zucchini, and black‑purple, plus cedar plugs, are raising striped marlin and the occasional tuna. Live bait slow‑trolled or fly‑lined—especially caballito and mackerel—has been key when the fish are up but not chewing hard on the hardware. On the Sea of Cortez side—La Paz, Loreto, and Los Cabos East Cape—the warm, clear water and gentle morning breezes have turned on the pelagics. Dorado numbers have been climbing with school‑size fish under debris and buoys, and some nicer bulls mixed in. Yellowfin tuna have been showing in open water and near porpoise schools, with poppers and stickbaits working on the surface when they’re foaming. When they go down, small live sardina, chunked bait, and smaller jigs get bit. Roosterfish have been cruising the beaches and points from Todos Santos around to the East Cape. Fly‑lined live mullet, ladyfish, or big sardina close to the sand have been producing, and large surface poppers and stickbaits in bone, white, and blue mackerel patterns are drawing explosive follows. Best action has been on the lower light—first light and late afternoon—with the mid‑day sun slowing the bite. A couple of hot spots to keep an eye on: 1. The kelp beds and boiler rocks off Punta Banda and the San Quintín reefs for calico, sandbass, rockfish, and lingcod. Work the structure hard with swimbaits, plastics, and bait rigs. 2. The East Cape zone between La Ribera and Los Barriles for dorado, tuna, and roosters. Watch for birds, current breaks, and any floating structure, and have both trolling lures and live bait ready. If you’re heading out, match the hatch—sardine and mackerel patterns are king right now—run light fluorocarbon when the water is clear, and fish those tide changes at dawn and dusk. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe for more reports and tips. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai. Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn