The Los Cabos region at the tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula is a sport fishing shrine that draws worshipful anglers from all over the world. The famed tourist destination includes Cabo San Lucas with its sprawling marina and easy access to the merger of the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Cortez, as well as the East Cape region a few miles north on the sparkling southeastern shores of Baja.

These waters harbor an incredible wealth of marine life, including gamefish ranging from billfish, mahi and wahoo in the blue offshore waters to roosterfish and grouper inshore. Here are some of the angling opportunities you’ll find around Los Cabos in spring.

Striped Marlin Mania

Few other fish attract anglers to the Cabo region like striped marlin. While this species feeds year around in these waters, the best time to fish for striped marlin runs from February through the end of June. While the stripers might show up anywhere, one of the best areas to find the acrobatic billfish in spring is the Golden Gate Bank, 15 miles north of Cabo San Lucas on the Pacific side, where upwellings create rich waters that attract sardines and Pacific mackerel. You might find a school of these marlin attacking a dense pack of bait on the surface, and well-placed live bait such as a mackerel or caballito (Mexican scad) will often draw immediate attention.

Bird Brain

To be clear, the surface feeding activity by striped marlin described above does occur during every outing. On many trips, crews spend time trolling and, at the same, searching the horizon for the telltale clouds of birds hovering over schools of sardines and other baitfish driven to the surface by ravenous striped marlin and other pelagic gamefish. When a boat crew finds these birds, they race to the spot, and once within casting distance, the anglers fling live baits into the melee, often producing multiple hookups followed by releases—an extraordinary opportunity for anglers to achieve personal-best billfish catch-and-release totals.

Other Targets

Striped marlin might grab most of the offshore attention, but there are many other spring angling opportunities in this region, including dorado, yellowfin tuna and wahoo, often found in the same offshore waters.

Close to the sandy beaches of the Sea of Cortez on the East Cape, anglers also can target roosterfish in spring. This fish’s unique comblike dorsal fin slices the water as the rooster attacks schools of baitfish. Roosters often behave like the striped marlin, feeding on the surface.

When roosters don’t show themselves at the surface, one of the most effective techniques for finding them is slow trolling live baits such as mullet or sardines along beaches. Other inshore gamefish such as Pacific jack crevalle and sierra mackerel join in on the near-shore feeding frenzies. Both of these species eagerly bite anything moving, including trolled cedar plugs, tuna feathers and Rapala diving plugs in a variety of colors.

Other species to consider in spring include California yellowtail, cabrilla (leopard groupers) and pargo (Spanish for various species of snapper) These delicious fish can be found along rocky areas of the coastline, and will readily strike a live bait fished near the bottom.

Cabo Launch Points

Los Cabos Airport in San Jose del Cabo serves both Cabo San Lucas and the East Cape, and it is less than three hours by air from most major Southern California airports. A transfer to Cabo San Lucas takes less than hour, while the drive to the East Cape takes about one hour.

Cabo San Lucas features a huge, bustling marina; the IGY Marina company is the largest resident operator with 380 slips, many of them filled with sportfishing boats to meet the needs of anglers wanting to charter. Hotels ranging from economical to luxury 5-star properties surround the marina, and make it convenient to walk to your charter boat for an early morning departure.

On the other hand, the East Cape has no marinas. Instead, each beachside resort has its own fleet of sportfishing boats that anchor in the typically calm waters in front of the resorts. Some properties build small piers where passengers can board and de-board, while others use pangas to ferry guests to and from the larger boats.

Charter Options

Back in Cabo San Lucas, for more than four decades, the Ehrenberg family has run the Pisces Sport Fishing charter operation in Marina at Los Cabos. Their boats are equipped with high-end rods and reels spooled with fresh line, available in various sizes from 30- to 80-pound-test trolling outfits. They also provide bait-fishing outfits with either 30- or 50-pound-test line, plus lures, leader, terminal tackle and more.

“Pisces Sport Fishing has gotten off to a record-breaking pace in 2022,” says Rebecca Ehrenberg, Pisces vice president of conservation, “In January, our fleet released 2,361 marlin, with excellent catches of 315 tuna and 181 dorado (mahi), combined with 282 wahoo and other inshore species. Our bookings through June are rapidly filling up. Our spring season should be remarkable.”

Read Next: Cabo San Lucas Fishing

Few destinations can match the Los Cabos region for the remarkable array of spring fishing opportunities to catch saltwater gamefish.

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Cabo. The name conjures images of leaping marlin, rambunctious dorado, high fives after a day of fishing, celebrating with a cold Pacifico, and reliving the day over margaritas at the swim-up bar. This, however, is a tale of two Cabos.

There’s Cabo San Lucas fishing. Then there’s East Cape fishing. Both easily accessible from Los Cabos International Airport, each offers a shot at heart-pounding fishing action in the waters surrounding the tip of Mexico’s fabled Baja California peninsula.

Yet, those are about the only similarities between the two Cabo fishing destinations. They are separated by roughly 100 miles of desert coastline, rugged headlands and sweeping white-sand beaches, as well as a profound difference in tourism philosophies. One focuses on heavy commercialization, while the other holds back on rampant growth with an eye toward preserving the unique experience of fishing in Old Mexico.

There are indeed sport-fishing-oriented resorts between the two Cabos — including the Marina Puerto Los Cabo near San Jose del Cabo and the Costa Palmas Marina near the town of La Ribera — but the great majority of visiting anglers choose to stay at either Cabo San Lucas or East Cape.

As a first-time visitor, how do you decide which destination is right for you?

The most important question to ask yourself is, “What kind of experience am I looking for: great fishing spiced by the nightlife of a party town, or great fishing blended with tranquil evenings overlooking the Sea of Cortez?”

Answer this question, then decide to venture southward from the airport to the bustling tourist town of Cabo San Lucas, or trek northward to the remote resorts of East Cape. Here’s what you will find at each.

Cabo San Lucas Fishing

On a recent sojourn to Cabo San Lucas, I awoke early each morning and took a stroll in the pre-dawn darkness. From the heights of Paseo de la Marina, I could gaze inland across a vast expanse of city lights and felt a sense of amazement, tempered by nostalgia.

The once-sleepy fishing town has passed into angling history, having morphed into a sprawling metropolis with a population conservatively estimated at nearly 92,000.

My destination during the morning walks was the centerpiece of this town, Marina Cabo San Lucas. With 380 slips, 24-hour security, a launch ramp, fuel docks, ships store, shore power and its own desalination plant, this marina is state of the art. Managed by Island Global Yachting, it is one of the largest marinas in Baja and rivals any recreational port in the United States.

For anglers, mornings start early for Cabo fishing trips. It was still dark by the time I arrived, but the docks brimmed with activity as crew­members loaded charter boats with fishing gear, ice and provisions. Food carts along the malecon (the esplanade surrounding the marina) prepared and sold hot breakfast burritos and lunches for departing anglers and crewmembers on Cabo San Lucas fishing charters.

Yet the docks empty quickly around dawn as the fleet pulls out and funnels through the main channel. Many of the best Cabo fishing charters stop outside the harbor to purchase live bait. A number of local bait fishermen in their pangas are usually standing by, having fished all night to load their wells with Pacific mackerel and caballitos (bigeye scad).

In recent years, a large bait boat, Francesca, operated by Jorge Tellez, owner of the Gaviotas and Solmar charter-boat fleets, has also been stationed outside the harbor to supply live bait.

Once baited up, the boats cruise past the famous rock formations at Finnisterra (Land’s End), including El Arco, the massive stone arch that ranks as the most identifiable landmark of Cabo San Lucas, in pursuit of glory fish, including three species of marlin — black, blue and striped — as well as dorado, wahoo, tuna, sailfish and even swordfish.

When you’re tired of bluewater fishing, target cabrilla (leopard grouper), sierra mackerel (similar to Spanish mackerel, but larger), and pargo (species of snapper). The most prized species when inshore fishing in Cabo San Lucas is roosterfish.

Cabo San Lucas Fishing Charters

While some visiting anglers trailer their own boats here or cruise down from San Diego (1,000-mile passage), it’s far easier and more common to fly down and fish aboard Cabo San Lucas fishing charters, as I did on a trip with Barrett Howarth, vice president for Mag Bay Yachts. We fished aboard a Mag Bay 33, one of 15 boats in the famous Picante Sportfishing fleet.

Located in the northwest corner of the marina, Picante offers a wide choice of charter craft, ranging from a 24-foot Shamrock to a 45-foot Cabo Express. Picante also has two custom yachts up to 68 feet available for larger parties or extended fishing trips.

Our trip aboard the Mag Bay 33 in early December turned out to be a magnificent day during which we caught yellowfin tuna and a striped marlin around the San Jaime Bank on the Pacific side off Cabo, then headed close to shore to catch dorado within casting distance of the beach. Such days are common in Cabo, says Phil Gentile, owner of Picante Sportfishing. “That’s what keeps people coming back to Cabo San Lucas,” he says with a wry smile. Indeed, it was a successful fishing trip that got Gentile started in the charter business.

A virtual unknown in big-game tournament fishing at the time, Gentile entered and won Cabo’s high-stakes Bisbee’s Black and Blue tournament in 1994, catching a 993-pound blue marlin aboard his 40-foot Tollycraft, Picante. He also won a Cabo Yachts 35 convertible, and with that boat started Picante Sportfishing.

One of the largest sport-fishing charter operations is represented by Tellez’s combined Gaviotas and Solmar fleets, located along the eastern side of the marina. These world-renowned charter operations bring together 25 sport-fishing boats, ranging from 22-foot pangas to a 43-foot Bertram.

I have firsthand experience fishing aboard the latter, Don Luis, during a Cabo fishing trip in May. Over the course of two days, Capt. Christian Lopez put us on no fewer than 10 striped marlin around the 1150 Bank, about 23 miles from port.

“Fishing is still the principal activity in Cabo San Lucas, and always will be,” says Tellez, alluding to the diverse activities that draw a million tourists to this area each year. “Marlin support this town. That’s why I let every one of my captains know that they are not to kill marlin.”

Research and advance booking with a reputable charter operator are critical to an enjoyable fishing trip, says Ryan Donovan, owner of RedRum Sportfishing, which operates 12 charter boats ranging from 28 to 78 feet in length.

“None of the reputable fleets use hawkers, guys along the malecon trying sell you on a sport-fishing charter,” says Donovan. “Nine out of 10 times, these are tied to a time-share promotion.

“With a salesman every 15 feet, we call it ‘walking the gantlet,” he adds. “Many times, these charters want to save money, so they won’t burn the fuel necessary to get you to the fish.”

Book at least two days of fishing, but three is even better, Donovan believes. “That way you can experience a variety of species,” he explains. “Maybe fish marlin one day, tuna the next, and then target roosterfish on the third day.”

For a comprehensive list of Cabo San Lucas charter-fishing operators and rates, visit los​cabostournaments.com and click on “charters” as well as the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament (October) and the Charter Boat Classic Tournament (November).

Cabo San Lucas Resorts

A host of fine resorts populate Cabo San Lucas, but among the most convenient for anglers are those that immediately surround the marina, such as the Marina Fiesta Resort and Spa, where I stayed on a recent visit. With some rooms overlooking the marina, the hotel is literally steps from the docks, making it easy to carry gear to the boat. Between fishing trips, you can relax by the pool and enjoy a beverage at the tiki bar.

If you’d rather stay a bit farther from the marina, try a resort such as the Bahia Hotel and Beach Club. Secluded amid quaint avenidas a few blocks above Cabo’s Medano Beach, the Bahia was built a quarter-century ago as a hotel catering to sport fishermen. It’s an easy walk during cool morning hours but a tougher uphill trudge in the heat of the afternoon.

The Bahia features open-air hallways, a central swimming pool and one of the finest restaurants in all of Baja California: Bar Esquina. The management offers parking for trailer boats in the lot adjacent to the resort, with 24-hour security.

Some charter operations also offer their own accommodations, says Donovan. “For instance, we offer packages that include condos and villas for visiting anglers.”

“Our stay-and-play packages are intended for groups and families looking for an alternative to hotels and resorts.” RedRum offers three-, four- and six-bedroom condos. For more hotels and rates, check out Los Cabos Visitors Guide online or visit loscabostournaments.com/los-cabos-resorts.

Cabo San Lucas Dining and Shopping

If you like shopping malls, you’ll love Cabo San Lucas. In fact, there are mall-like retail stores and American-style restaurants lining the marina, including Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse and Swarovski Jewelers in the Luxury Avenue Los Cabos boutique mall. For a more authentic Mexican dining ­experience, check out places such as Solomon’s Landing restaurant in the far western corner of the marina or Giggling Marlin off Paseo de la Marina, just west of the marina. You can check out more dining opportunities and meal prices by visiting Los Cabo Visitors Guide online.

East Cape Fishing

About 45 miles northward from the airport, along Baja’s main transportation artery — Mexico 1 — through the cactus-studded Sonoran desert, are the resorts of East Cape, including Buena Vista Beach Resort, Hotel Palmas de Cortez, Hotel Playa del Sol, Rancho Leonero and others.

Shadowed by the craggy, towering peaks of the Sierra la Trinidad mountain range to the west, each resort is perched on a beach with a view of the Sea of Cortez

Virtually all of the East Cape resorts offer packages with accommodations, meals and fishing. Though there are opportunities to dine in the nearby town of Los Barriles, visiting anglers choose to spend most of their time at the resorts when they’re not fishing.

“East Cape is far more remote and quiet than Cabo San Lucas, and if you’re looking for nightclubs, you won’t find them here,” says Gary Graham, who has been driving down to Baja destinations from the United States since 1973 and pens the Baja Beat column for Western Outdoor News.

Graham is also a ­representative-at-large for the International Game Fish Association. “I’ve spent more time in East Cape than anywhere else,” he reveals.

East Cape resorts differ in style and amenities, says Graham. “Rancho Leonero, for example, offers more of a fish-camp experience, has great access to the beach, and has assembled one of the biggest panga fleets in the area,” Graham reports.

On the other hand, Hotel Palmas de Cortez — part of the Van Wormer Resorts — is more sophisticated, Graham reports. “Hotel Playa del Sol, also a Van Wormer property, is next door and more like a motel design and less expensive than Palmas,” he says. As an alternative, Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort offers “a more Mediterranean experience,” Graham adds.

To learn more about East Cape resorts, packages and rates, visit eastcaperesorts.com.

East Cape Charter Fishing Fleets

Virtually all East Cape resorts field their own fleet of sport-fishing boats, and most offer a range of vessel sizes. At the Van Wormer resorts, for example, you can charter three grades of diesel-powered flybridge cruisers — standard, deluxe and super-deluxe — as well as superpangas. Cruisers offer a greater level of comfort and passenger room than the superpangas, so most guests opt for the former.

Just as in Cabo San Lucas, every day starts early as visiting anglers — box lunches and gear in hand — hit the sand before sunup, waiting to board their boats for a day of fishing.

At some resorts, piers extend from the beach, allowing boats to dock momentarily while guests step aboard. At other East Cape resorts, pangas shuttle anglers from the beach out to the larger boats. Relatively calm waves along the shores of the Sea of Cortez make boardings easy.

Other pangas hover outside the main fleet, their wells stocked with Pacific mackerel and/or caballitos, awaiting an opportunity to sell live bait to the boats heading out. Live bait is particularly important when targeting dorado, roosterfish and striped marlin.

Some days, the best offshore fishing takes boats out anywhere from 15 to 25 miles, but the deep-sea ledges and canyons that run close to the coast can spell good action for dorado, marlin, sailfish and wahoo closer to home at times.

East Cape is also a prime area for roosterfish, particularly the crystal-clear shallow waters off nearby Punta Arena. Slow-trolling live baits can produce roosters weighing 50 to 65 pounds.

It’s hard to cover in one story all the fishing opportunities you’ll find in this region of Mexico. Suffice it to say, you could spend a lifetime fishing here and not experience it all. For example, we haven’t even delved into the fishing opportunities for species such as cabrilla, California yellowtail, pargo, sierra mackerel or thresher sharks.

If you haven’t fished here, put it on your bucket list. In fact, list it twice — once for Cabo San Lucas and again for East Cape. Then you can tell your own tale of two Cabos.

Traveling to Cabo

Los Cabos International Airport is served by a host of air carriers, including American, Alaska, Delta, Southwest and United, with service from major U.S. cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Houston, New York JFK, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, St. Louis and Washington D.C. Check with your travel agent, travel website or airline website to find the best fares, dates and times.

When you book your accommodations, ask about transfers from the airport to the hotel. Some hotels and resorts bundle the shuttle service to and from the airport into your booking package. From the airport to Cabo San Lucas is about 40 minutes. It takes about an hour to reach East Cape resorts from the airport.

Cabo San Lucas Fishing Tackle

Back in the day, the quality and selection of tackle provided by sport-fishing charter boats was — in a word — inconsistent. That forced many visiting anglers into the hassle of taking a selection of their own tackle as luggage.

That’s no longer the case, at least in Cabo San Lucas and East Cape. Charter operators at those hot spots provide top-notch rods and reels spooled with fresh line. And they provide the lures, leader line and terminal tackle for any opportunity that might arise.

If you really want to bring an outfit or two, for marlin trolling, think about Shimano Tiagra 30W trolling reels spooled with 50-pound-test monofilament and matched to custom 6-foot trolling rods equipped with AFTCO roller guides.

For casting live baits to marlin, a Shimano Torium 30 spooled with 40-pound monofilament with a wind-on 80-pound-test leader and a 7-foot medium-heavy action rod with conventional ring guides would be a good choice. You can also use this for dorado or roosterfish.

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Cabo Storm Victims

After Hurricane Odile ravaged the southern cape of the Baja Peninsula, fishermen stepped up to the plate and came to the rescue. With food and water running low in Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, and the area narrowly missing a second hit from Tropical Storm Polo, anglers utilized their fishing boats to organize a ferry mission, evacuating Mexican residents to safer mainland areas.

About 60 Mexican nationals between the ages of 3 and 65 were evacuated and safely brought to Mazatlán, a city in the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

Ty and Krista Valli, of the 68-foot Hatteras Reel Quest, immediately offered to assist. Captain Roy “Wilkes” Hammock used his 65-foot Viking Expedition to bring families to the docks at Marina Mazatlan. Chad Herren, of the 61-foot Blackwell Wild Hooker, helped with the evacuation too. And owner John Williams and Capt. Kevin Pahl “Cubby” of the boat II SUCCESS, a 60-foot Hatteras, also shuttled storm victims to safety.

“It was not about paperwork, or passports, or where you were from,” said Krista Valli, in response to the evacuation efforts. “It was all about safety.”

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Varying from 5-pound footballs to bruisers in the 50- to 60-pound class, the speedy albacore prove eager biters, tough fighters and fine table fare. These white-meat tuna are, after all, the fabled chicken of the sea. It’s hard not to love a fish with so many attributes.

Yet, there is one unpredictable variable. Albies sometimes sweep too far offshore, and remain outside the range of many boats on their summer/fall migration route northward along the Pacific coast of northern Mexico, California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia.

In recent years, for example, the longfins have been virtual no-shows for boats based in San Diego. At the same time, albie schools vectored closer to the coast up north, pleasing anglers from northern California to northern Vancouver Island.

When conditions are right and the longfins show, you go. In the -meantime, you can get your gear ready in anticipation of their arrival.

Albacore possess an affinity for purple-blue water and temperature breaks — changes of 2 to 5 degrees along which they can find and gorge on forage species such as anchovies, herring, squid, sardines, sauries, and other bait species. These temp breaks are often at the edges of the continental shelf, submerged canyons, underwater ridges and deep-sea mounts, all of which create upwellings of cooler water.

While bathymetric features might help guide your hunt, don’t get too hung up on fishing specific spots. Rather, look for signs of life to locate the tuna (see “Finding the Albacore”).

This year Mother Ocean might hold a wild card. A strong El Niño event could have an impact on the longfins’ timing and migration patterns. No one knows for sure, but albacore anglers hope it plays in their favor. Though this species seems to like temps around 59 to 62 degrees F, in El Niño years, I’ve caught them in water as warm as 72 degrees.

While anglers fish for longfins out of dozens of harbors and bays of North America’s Pacific coast, I’ve isolated 10 of the top ports for satisfying your albacore addiction. Join me as we follow the nomadic schools from south to north.

Ensenada, Mexico

There is scientific evidence to support the belief that vast schools of albacore circumnavigate the North Pacific, a route that finds them arcing east across the ocean in early summer, then angling north along the coast of Baja California Norte. That puts the port of Ensenada, Mexico, in the perfect position for an albie intercept. A fair number of U.S. anglers trailer their boats the 65 miles below the border, and launch at the Hotel Coral and Marina. Larger U.S. boats cruise down and stay in a guest slip at the marina, which also has a live-bait barge and the only fuel dock above Los Cabos, some 750 miles south. Productive banks lie within 30 to 50 nautical miles offshore.

Season: Mid-June to late September, sometimes into October

Charter Information: Ensenada Sportfishing

Best Launch Ramp: Hotel Coral and Marina Ramp

Live Bait: Hotel Coral and Marina bait barge

San Diego Bay, California

For decades, the San Diego Bay -sport-fishing passenger fleet depended on the annual albacore run for its very livelihood. Fishing waters 30 to 90 miles from Point Loma, anglers and albacore filled the boats that ran “turnaround” schedules virtually all summer out of landings such as Fisherman’s and H&M. Unfortunately, in recent years, schools of longfins proved -nonexistent — or perhaps too deep to catch — along the northern Baja and Southern California coasts, leaving anglers looking for other game. There are a number of theories about the missing albies, but some evidence indicates the albacore have taken to feeding in the abyss on benthic species such as laternfish along this portion of coast, thus not making themselves visible or accessible. Whatever the reason, anglers hope for a return of albie action to these waters, and if that happens, San Diego Bay will be a top longfin launch point.

Season: Mid-June through September

Charter Information: San Diego Sportfishing Online

Best Launch Ramp: Shelter Island Launch Ramp

Live Bait: Everingham Brothers bait barge

Morro Bay, California

Migrating schools of albacore often swing closer to the coast after they pass outside California’s Channel Islands and Point Conception, and one of the first ports to capitalize on this was Morro Bay. Anglers find fish anywhere from 20 to 70 miles from the iconic El Morro monolith that marks the entrance to the shallow bay. Weather is always a factor along this tempestuous and fully exposed stretch of the central California coast, with high winds and big waves sometimes thwarting the albacore chase, particularly for private-boat anglers. Yet when seas cooperate and the longfins are within range, the fishing can be spectacular for private, charter, and passenger boats alike.

Season: June through September

Charter Information: Morro Bay Landing

Best Launch Ramp: Morro Bay Launch Ramp

Live Bait: Morro Bay Landing (subject to shortages due to weather)

Santa Cruz, California

With Monterey Bay offering some protection from the wind and Monterey Canyon serving as natural underwater highway leading migrating albacore closer to shore, Santa Cruz Harbor on the upper side of the bay can serve as the launch point for some great albacore fishing. Autumn months see some of the best action for both private and charter boats, many of which are berthed at S-Dock on the east of the lower Santa Cruz Harbor.

Season: July through October

Charter Information: Fishing Santa Cruz

Best Launch Ramp: Santa Cruz Harbor Boat Launch

Live Bait: Boccie Boy Bait (subject to shortages due to weather)

Bodega Bay, California

Known to many as the setting for the bizarre Alfred Hitchcock film, The Birds, Bodega Bay — about 45 miles above San Francisco’s Golden Gate — becomes longfin central as offshore waters warm and schools of albacore migrate along the Northern California coast. Anglers switch from inshore tactics for salmon and rockfish to offshore trolling for tuna. While live bait is not available, anglers often experience multiple hookups on the troll. Like many northern coastal areas, the sea condition is a big consideration, especially when running 20 to 70 miles offshore to reach the albacore. When a calm weather window opens up, the chase begins.

Season: July through October

Charter Information: Fishing Bodega Bay

Best Launch Ramp: Westside Regional Park Boat Ramp

Live Bait: None

Crescent City, California

This northernmost California port on our list buzzes with excitement once the longfins are discovered, which can occur as early as July. The albies sometimes come as close as 20 miles off the coast, where trollers rack up impressive counts. As in most of the northern waters, live-bait fishing is rare. But some anglers keep schools close by chumming with copious amounts of chunk bait, and then cast-and-retrieve swimbaits and metal jigs (known as “iron”) to catch the frothing longfins on lighter tackle.

Season: July through October

Charter Information: Tally Ho II Sportfishing

Launch Ramp: Crescent City Harbor Boat Ramp

Live Bait: None

Coos Bay, Oregon

Boats out of Coos Bay are often the first to find longfins off the Oregon coast. Schools may sweep in as close as 25 miles, and if the weather is decent, trollers can fill the box in a hurry with fish in the 20- to 30-pound range. While live bait is rarely available in Coos Bay, anglers here seem to do just fine without it. As in Crescent City, anglers use chunk bait to keep a school close to the boat while fishing swimbaits.

Season: July through October

Charter Information: Fishing Oregon’s Adventure Coast

Best Launch Ramp: Charleston Marina and Launch Ramp in Coos Bay

Live Bait: None

Garibaldi, Oregon

Rivaling San Diego Bay as a premier longfin launch point, the port of Garibaldi on Tillamook Bay has all the key elements for albacore success, including a launch ramp close to the ocean, a live-bait operation, and albacore that zoom in pretty close to the coast. Anglers have caught longfins just 12 miles from the inlet, but most years, 20 to 25 miles is the closest you will find fish. Garibaldi also hosts one leg of the popular Oregon Tuna Classic. This year, the Garibaldi event takes place Aug. 22-23. When you find the longfins, it’s sometimes in the midst of a foaming frenzy of feeding that might cover acres of water. Toss in a live anchovy or -swimbait, and hang on.

Season: July through October

Charter Information: Garibaldi Charters

Best Launch Ramp: Garibaldi Marina Launch Ramp

Live Bait: Garibaldi Marina and Tillamook Bay Boathouse (subject to shortages due to weather)

Westport, Washington

Albacore have been known to vector as close as 15 miles from Westport, but you’re more likely to find them 35 miles or more off the Washington state coast, with some boats fishing as far as 60 miles. That kind of run begs for calm seas, lest your longfin adventure turn into a pounding hate mission. One of the first tip-offs of the season often comes from all-weather commercial trollers returning to port with their holds full of albacore. Armed with this intel, recreational fishermen get poised, then run out for longfins when breezes are light and waves are little.

Season: July through October

Charter Information: Westport Charter Boat Services, Washington Tuna Charters

Best Launch Ramp: Westport Marina Boat Launch

Live Bait: Westport Bait Dock (subject to seasonal availability)

Vancouver Island, Canada

Ports along the West Coast of British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, such as Ucluelet, Tofino and Kyuquot, are positioned for one last shot at the longfins before they turn westward on their suspected circle route around the North Pacific. At this northerly range, weather proves a bigger factor than anywhere else. Plus, the relatively warm water that holds albies is often 50 miles or more from the coast, though the longfins do come closer at times. Last year, even farther north, schools swung within 10 to 12 miles of the island for a short period in August. Trolling catches most of the fish, and action can be phenomenal, albeit fleeting. But then again, you can say that about albacore fishing anywhere.

Season: August through November

Top Charters: Tofino Fishing Charters, Murphy Sportfishing at Kyuquot

Best Launch Ramps: Tofino Boat Moorage Launch Ramp, Ucluelet District Boat Ramp

Live Bait: None

Finding the Albacore

Trolling feather jigs, Cedar Plugs and large deep-diving lures at about 7 knots with heavy tackle is the traditional method of finding albacore. This — in addition to searching for birds, jumping bait, temperature breaks and sometimes leaping albacore — is still the only way for many private-boat anglers.

Once a fish is hooked on the troll, the school often follows it to the boat, where anglers can then use lighter tackle with lures or bait such as live anchovies to hook more fish. Tossing out live “chummers” or chunks of bait helps keep the school around the boat to multiply the success of each “jig stop.”

The advent of searchlight sonar, however, has given skippers of passenger sport-fishing and some larger private boats a new tool for finding the tuna schools. While most boats still troll jigs for albacore, the fish are pinpointed with sonar, which can locate schools as far as 5,000 feet from the boat with an audible alarm to alert the skipper to a target. As the boat vectors in and circles on a sonar mark, a deckhand hurls netfuls of live bait or other chum to bring the fish close, often resulting in explosive action and instant hookups off the stern.

Longfin Facts

•Albacore can swim at speeds of more than 50 mph, so it’s nearly impossible to troll or retrieve a lure too fast for them when they want to eat it.

•Albacore need to eat a tremendous amount of food to fuel their life in the ocean fast lane, sometimes chowing down as much as 25 percent of their own weight every day. Little wonder, then, that they are eager biters.

•The IGFA all-tackle world-record -albacore was caught near the Canary Islands in the Atlantic in 1977. It weighed 88 pounds, 2 ounces.

•The IGFA record for an albacore in the Pacific was 83 pounds, 12 ounces, caught on a boat fishing out of Tokyo Bay, Japan, in 1984.

Albacore Tuna

Albacore Migration Route

Legendary Launch Point

Albacore Action

Santa Cruz, California

Lovely Longfin

Westport, Washington

The post Best Places to Catch Pacific Albacore appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.

Striped Marlin Mania

Marlin Central: Cabo San Lucas Marina

Sight-Casting to Marlin

Light ‘Em Up

Close-Quarters Marlin Fight

Ready for a Fight

Greyhounding Run

Getting Vertical

Rigging the Game

Marlin End Game

Leadering the Fish

The Wrong Tail

Prize Fighter

Lift Off!

Great Game Fish

Bright and Beautiful

At the Rail

Marlin Nears the Surface

One Last Jump

Fighting Striper

Fresh and Bright

Ready for Release

Skipper and His Mentor

Flags of Glory

The post Marlin Fishing Gets Hot Off Cabo San Lucas appeared first on Sport Fishing Mag.