The waters around Loreto offer two world renowned fishing seasons. Dorado in the summer and yellowtail in the winter.

The famous summer dorado bite in Loreto has been the subject of many an author. According to many locals, the summer of 1997 saw Loreto in its best dorado bite in 30 years. The town has also seen an increase in the number of billfish in it’s portion of the Cortez. Pacific sailfish, and striped marlin are the billfish that one will likely encounter and there is even a chance at blue marlin.

Conventional anglers will typically troll live mackerel, fresh squid, or a feathered or skirted lure rigged with a tandem hook. Local Pangeros have the midsummer live bait method -down pat. They will meet the fishermen about a half hour before sunrise either at the marina or on the beach in front of the hotel and head to the bait vendors for a load of mackerel ($15/day for 2 anglers). Then it’s off to the hot spots.

If there’s talk of a hot bite somewhere, the whole Loreto fleet will tend to head in that general direction. For the past year and a half, both the winter and summer season bites were to the north and east of Isla Coronado, and off the east side of Isla Carmen. The Pangero will go into troll mode once he gets to a spot he thinks will produce. As the motor slows, you will suddenly feel the heat getting thicker just as the sun is coming over the horizon. You will then be told to "Troll" by your guide. Set your drag first in case of an early strike. As soon as he determines that you’ve let out enough line, he will either tell you to "stop" or make a gesture for you to stop. That live mackerel will be trolled over some of the most productive structure and deep water canyon edges in the world.

In midsummer the dorado bite is in full swing, and the Pangero will always be on the look out for telltale signs of fish in the area. Birds working the water below them, color changes, scum lines, a group of boats- are all signs of fish. If you spot a seaweed paddy (Sargasso) while you’re cruising, it could be holding a school of dorado or at least a solitary bull. Be ready for a hook-up when trolling in these situations. When dorado hit trolled bait, they tend to swallow it deep. Wait a moment, then set the hook Hard. While you’re fighting the fish, your buddy will notice the water around the boat taking on a golden hue from the other curious dorado attracted by the fight near the boat. This is called amigo fishing and the time when multiple hookups occur.

Catching Sailfish and Marlin with live bait is also done on the troll. Often you will witness the quick pursuit of the billfish just before it crashes the bait. Wait a couple of moments (5 count) before setting the hook, then set it hard. The mouth of a billfish is very rigid and difficult to get a hook into. Lures tend to be swallowed less deeply than live bait and they are usually ambushed from the side. They are trolled at higher speeds and often result in more corner hook-ups which is ideal when releasing a billfish.

Fly fishing requires a whole different approach and attitude. The fly fishers will board their Panga as the sun breaks the horizon and head for the marina where schools of Sardines begin to form. At the marina, I never tire watching the netters make bait for the other boats. Watch as the netter on the boat next to you casts his net with great skill and precision then take note as the water begins to boil all around you. There’s bait everywhere! Soon, the netter jumps onto the front of your Panga, arranges his net in his arms- then casts it out over the cauldron. After about two casts you’ll have a day’s worth of sardines for chumming (about $15/day).

You will go to the same areas the conventional anglers are fishing. Why not, they’ve already scouted the waters! If you spot a sargasso patch, approach slowly then drift to within casting distance of it, and have your Pangero toss in a few of those live sardines you just got. If there are dorado within a hundred feet they’ll find those frightened sardines. Cast your fly into the feeding frenzy and get ready. It’s good to have enough rods ready to cast both a popper for surface takes and a streamer for deep water strikes. Dorado in a feeding frenzy below the boat, fully lit up and going for a fly you tied the night before; few words can describe it. I guess you’ll have to try it for yourself.

If the fish key onto the fact that your stripping a hook covered in plastic, thread, and epoxy and its not a tasty little sardine- you’re history. Try your other rigged rods, change flies, vary stripping techniques. If all else fails, move on- there are many more where they came from.

Billfish are coaxed into taking a fly in a more orchestrated process. A trolled hook-less skirted lure (teaser) will often entice and light up a billfish toward the boat. Once the fish is teased to a comfortable casting distance for the angler, the person with the teasing rod will yank the teaser clear. At the same time the captain will put the boat’s motor into neutral and the angler will cast to that fish who’s now wondering where that tasty morsel just went...Ideally, the fish will be attracted to the fly. Hookup will take place as you watch the fly line rapidly clearing the guides -then you end up setting the hook when the fish begins to strip line from the reel. An early hook set is possible if the fish turns perpendicular to your line or strikes from the side. Make sure the drag is set before your cast, ‘cause your in for a wild ride.

Those who choose to fish with light tackle spinning gear or smaller fly rods will have fun with the "obscure" species often overlooked by other fishermen. These are the giant needlefish, sierra and pompano, -fun on a 6- 8WT flyrod; and small roosterfish, small jacks, cabrilla, and bonita, that can be landed on 7-9WT gear most of the year.

Yellowtail are the main winter attraction to Loreto each year. This fish is pure muscle, fights like a freight-train and Loreto is home to five (5) I.G.F.A. world record ‘tails. Roosterfish, sierra mackerel, pompano, ladyfish, cabrilla, snapper, and amberjack can also be caught in the winter.

Most of the conventional fishermen take on the yellowtail with live mackerel or Jurelitos (baby yellowtail) on a dropper loop, while others will jig iron. In recent years these fish have been holding to the north, in the areas of San Bruno, San Nicolas, and Isla San Ildefonso. Two other seamounts to the east of Isla Coronado, "La Choya" and "La Vaca" are also rich in yellowtail. These fish are often in 100-200 ft. but may move to the surface in the spring to feed and spawn.

Fly fishermen will focus on other species, especially when the forktails are swimming deep. To successfully stalk the yellowtail on the fly, your gear must be able to withstand some seriously strong runs. Equip yourself with a 12WT or greater fly rod. Pound for pound these fish are the strongest that swim in the sea. They consistently weigh in at over 30 pounds and can often be much larger.

Mexican law requires that anglers who sport fish be properly licensed. Enforcement of this law is currently taking place in Loreto as is the enforcement of catch limits. Catch limitations are described on the back side of your Mexican fishing license (in Spanish). The adherence of limit laws will be the savior of this fishery for the future. Billfish Foundation tags are available at The Baja Big Fish Company in Loreto.

With the exception of terminal tackle, both of Loreto’s seasons can be handled with similar gear - with winter yellowtail requiring a little step up in line class and a strong back. Three rods will cover the full range of fish experienced in both summer and winter.

A typical pack will include the following combos; one light (10-25#) spinning rod with a Penn 6500ss (or similar), rigged with 250 yards of 12-15 pound line, one medium-light (10-25#) conventional rod with a Penn 500L Jigmaster and 300 yards of 20# mono, and finally a (15-40#) medium or a (20-50#) medium-heavy outfit turning a Penn 113 (4/0 Senator) and 400+ yards of 30# mono. This last outfit should be modified for winter by upgrading to a heavy (30-80#) rod and re-spooling the reel with 50# line. This is only a recommended list and tends toward the heavy side. The lighter tackle offers great action around Loreto and puts the sport back into sportfishing.

Terminal tackle in Loreto is very simple, but old school. In summer the conventional angler will surface troll a live bait rigged with tandem hooks and a 50# leader. In winter, an 80-120 pound leader is used and 4-8 oz. of lead carries the bait down near the bottom. In recent years there has been a trend by local Pangeros to accept alternate methods. It is not uncommon to see several pangas trolling a little faster and pulling "feathers" or "skirted" lures for dorado, sailfish, and striped marlin.

The proven patterns and styles for summer are Zuker ZF feathers in green/yellow, pink or blue/white, rainbow, or black/green and Zuker ZM3 or ZM3.5 skirted lures in green/yellow, blue/white, pink/white, or black/green. Other productive lures are Rapala magnum sizes CD7 to CD14, Yo-Zuri crystal minnows, and the venerable plain-jane cedar plug.

The winter yellowtail have been known to bite iron on occasion. Try dropping a 5-7 inch (4-6 oz.) iron lure over structure and jig or retrieve quickly. Watch out for schools of skipjack as they will catch you off guard by hitting when you least expect it.

Rods: Three rod sizes will once again handle most fish found around Loreto. A little 6-8 WT rod is ideal for the smaller sierra, pompano, and needlefish. A 10-12WT is the best all-around size for dorado and large cabrilla (Seabass). And a 12-14WT is ideal for Sailfish, yellowtail and suitable for the Marlin to be taken on the fly in the area. The Sailfish will typically run 60-100 pounds, and the Marlin 60-175 pounds. A fast action rod works best to turn over large saltwater flies, especially during windy conditions. We prefer a three or four piece rod since they may be taken on the airplane as carry-on luggage. A three piece rod fits into the overhead bins of the Aero California jets nicely.

Reels: All reels must have a dependable drag system in order to fight these local fish. For dorado your reel should hold 200-300 yards of 20-30# backing. For the billfish and yellowtail, it should hold 400-600 yards of 30# backing.

Flies: Streamers- Deceiver patterns which imitate baitfish (mackerel, baby dorado, flying fish, sardine) in blue/white, blue/green/yellow, green/yellow, all pink, and all white in sizes 1/0 - 3/0 are all proven on Dorado. Make sure there’s plenty of flash in these flies. Dorado prefer streamers to be 3-6" in length. Yellowtail patterns are similar but require more weight and a slightly larger size. The billfish will take large streamers in blue/white, blue/green/yellow, all white, and pink. These flies can be the same size as used for dorado and yellowtail, or they can be as long as 16". Often, tandem hooks are used in sizes upwards of 8/0.

Poppers- Mylar poppers are deadly on surface feeding Dorado. These poppers are tied on a 2/0 popper hook in similar colors to the streamer patterns. The Billfish will readily take a streamer equipped with a floating popper head.

Lines: A weight forward floating line such as 3M’s Mastery Series Tarpon (or equivalent) will work well for taking fish on the surface with poppers. Often the larger dorado will linger at least 20 feet below the surface and a sinking line will be able to reach them. Fast sinking Teeney Series (250 -550 grain) lines are effective for fishing these depths. Leaders should conform to IGFA standards in case you come across that record fish, it happened in 1997: Don Childress of Davis, CA, using a 12WT rod, got the world record for 20 lb. class line with a 57.5 lb. dorado caught in Loreto.

Loreto gets very hot and humid during the summer. Dress for hot weather, but be prepared to cover yourself from the sun. In winter, you can expect chilly mornings and cool nights. Take down a heavy sweatshirt and/or wind-breaker for those cold early mornings when you’re heading for the fishing grounds. Long pants and long sleeves may be necessary at night, while shorts and tee shirts are comfortable by day. Equip yourself with plenty of sunscreen and sunglasses in both seasons.

There are several great restaurants and fun bars in town. They offer a wide range of food and many of them will cook your days catch. The bars in town host a mixture of locals and visiting fishermen, and the fish stories get wilder as the night goes on.