Wild Kayak Fishing on Baja’s Central Sea of Cortez

Fishing from a kayak miles offshore on the central Sea of Cortez on a dead-calm morning offers a world of extraordinary sights, afloat on an endless mirror reflecting steep, cactus-covered desert slopes, rocky cliffs, and a large early-morning moon shimmering above. Every ripple catches the eye; every tiny baitfish jumping out of the water flashes silver; huge manta rays move slowly, only their wingtips quivering above the surface; and, farther out, the gleam of an early sun reflects off the sides of leaping porpoises.

The sea is a world of sounds as well. Moving silently, with no hum of outboard engines, we could actually hear individual baitfish flipping, the whoosh of sea turtles taking a breath, and even the splash of a marlin 100 yards away.

I looked out toward the sound of that large splash to see a nice striped marlin again taking to the air as it free-jumped merrily along, shattering the tranquility of the sea.

A MARLIN MORNING

I had company. Of the four other pescadores en kayak in our group, spread out as they slow-trolled live baits over deep blue water well to the north of Isla Carmen, two were close enough to also try to get a livey in front of the marlin.

I saw Gary Graham, Baja-fishing author and expert, first hook up, trolling a live caballito (scad) ahead of me.

My turn came maybe an hour later as I pedaled slowly along, miles from any land. A screech fractured the still air as the clicker on my small Accurate conventional fishing reel let me know something had picked up my caballito. I snatched the rod from the holder, thinking the marlin would rocket up, but it headed down.

PREPARING TO GO FISHING IN OLD MEXICO

Promnitz had made sure all anglers on this adventure would have kayaks (Pro Angler 12s and Outbacks) on hand with everything needed to outfit them for serious fishing.

CATCHING DORADO — OFF THE ROCKS

After putting bait in the pangas’ livewells, we made the 7-mile crossing east to Isla Carmen and pulled into a gorgeous little bay with a river.

Maybe Promnitz’s invective startled the bird, because it dropped the fish — which, to my surprise, was scarfed down by a nice roosterfish the moment it hit the water.

Shortly after that, I pushed hard to close the distance to an area where the brilliant yellow-green flashes of a large dorado broad-jumping over the surface had caught my eye. By the time I made it there, the fish seemed to be long gone.

All of us caught other dorado (to about 15 pounds) on other days, even if not in the numbers that Loreto is known for. Chris Holmes, Cajun journalist and kayak-fishing enthusiast, seemed to do particularly well on the mahi.

“Dorado are what this area built its fame on among sport fishermen,” says Graham, who’s been covering the Loreto fishery for decades. “It was really a [fly-fishing mecca](sportfishingmag.com best fly-fishing spots) — for an angler to catch 20 to 30 dorado in a day wasn’t unusual. And those were big fish.”

That said, our adventure attests to the fact that there are still dorado around, and plenty of other game fish to tackle. The marine parks around the islands support what Graham calls a “species-rich fishery,” but one that Loreto has yet to market very effectively.

MONSTER ROOSTERFISH AND MORE

Of course, the central Sea of Cortez isn’t always flat. Though summer is often calm, winds may come up at any time, any day. Our fourth and fifth days proved pretty brisk from the south, which gave the waves a mighty long fetch. Couple that with heavy currents, and it can mean a wet panga ride. Fortunately, however, many islands are within 30 minutes to an hour or two of Loreto, so whatever direction the wind blows, the odds of fishing in the lee of an island remain good.

What looked to be fishy drop-offs around the corner of the island’s northwest tip and down its western side just weren’t fishable with the winds sweeping up from the south. So we were limited to a small area where the action was, well, limited.

Of course, none of us failed to catch fish. But I think that more than that, we all shared a sense of our good fortune just to fish these clear, emerald waters with their stunning desert backdrops. I feel safe in saying that the Sea of Cortez around Loreto qualifies as one of those special places in the world where a few days spent fishing — whether from a kayak or a panga — will be long remembered.

FISHING THE CENTRAL SEA OF CORTEZ

However you wet your line here, you’ll need a fishing license; you can buy that online.

Check out Visit Mexico for general information about Loreto.

HISTORIC LORETO

From the Hotel Oasis, downtown Loreto is a walk of 20 minutes or so. I’ve seen Loreto described as “old Baja” and would say that’s a pretty good characterization. Historically, this is the first Spanish settlement on the peninsula (dating from the late 1600s), and currently one senses the continuation of that tradition here. We strolled into town some evenings, with the air cooling after sunset, for ice cream and to enjoy the ambience (and also made a couple of afternoon forays for supplies). Granted, my impression was from just cursory visits, but the town seemed clean, quiet and safe, and the residents were friendly, without any sense of the cynicism that often becomes part of more touristy areas. (Speaking of safety, we left kayaks, rods, reels and tackle on the patio in front of our hotel rooms every night with absolutely no worries about anything disappearing.)