Baja Mexico fly fishing update and report for August 15th - 22nd 2010.
Written by
Jeff deBrown
Owner/Guide
www.thereelbaja.com
 1-888-287-4076

Water temp.
80 - 82 Inshore
83 - 86 Offshore

Air temp.
Low - 74
High - 94

Hi folks,

This past week here in Baja has been a good one.  We had our first good rain this past week.  Do not get me wrong it was nothing major but we did see some nice steady rain over night into the early morning hours as the week began.  We also had a couple of days where we experienced strong winds from the Southeast as the front moved across the peninsula.  By Wednesday we were back to flat calm seas, bright sunny skies, along with very warm temperatures.

I spent most of this week on the water filming a television show with Dave Maynard.  He has a show fish the Baja on the verses network.  He also has a great web site at www.fishthebaja.com .  We had a great time.  Dave was able to catch tuna, dorado, rooster fish along with a few other species.  We spent some time fishing for marlin and had a few fish there as well but unfortunately we did not get one to the boat.  Dave will be back down in a few weeks to film with me again as mid September thru October are in my opinion six of the best weeks to be here in Baja for fly fishing.  The heat is not as extreme but the water is still warm and all species of fish are abundant.  These include marlin, tuna, dorado, sail fish, rooster fish, just to name a few.  Not only do we have all the fish in the area but the landscape is gorgeous as we have usually had some moisture by that time and the mountains are green, lush and beautiful.  It is my favorite time in Baja.

Our fly fishing remains consistent with my anglers finding consistent action. Dorado and tuna provided the most action.  This past week the fish moved in quite close to shore and we once again found the fish just four hundred yards off shore in the area of La Capilla.  Most of the tuna were in the 10-20lb. range with a few bigger ones.  The dorado once again this week were great for the fly fishing angler who was fishing Baja.  We had good schools of dorado keeping the anglers busy.  Most of the dorado were smaller with the average fish around 10lbs.  In a few of the schools we encountered we got some nice fish that were double that.  Some of the schools we found had enough fish in them we were able to get  out the top water poppers and had a blast.  If you have never fished for dorado on a fly rod using a popper it is one of the best takes by a fish in fly fishing.  We continue to see bill fish throughout the area as well.  We have a lot of stripe marlin, sail fish and a good number of blue marlin.  The best of the fly fishing for bill fish is yet to come.

I will be going to the states on Wednesday the 25th and will return Labor Day September 6th.  I am going up to get a few things needed and maybe even do a little fishing.  During this time I will be calling back down here to get the latest fishing conditions.  I will be sure to let everyone know what I hear.  I will be back on the water on the 7th of September as I have some guests.  I will then give another report with the up to the minute information.

I would also like to let everyone know that I am running a special on guide days for the months of September and October.  The special is pay for 2 guided days and get the 3rd free OR pay for 4 guided days and get the 5th and 6th free.  All you have to do is mention that you heard about or read about the special.

I look forward to fishing with some of you this fall here in Baja.  I will let you all know how the fishing is in the states if I get a chance to go while I am there.

Until next time…..Keep fishing!

Driss and one of many Rooster fish he caught while fly fishing with The Reel Baja.

Baja Mexico fly fishing update and report for August 12th 2010.
Written by
Jeff deBrown
Owner/Guide
www.thereelbaja.com
 1-888-287-4076

Water temp.
75 - 78 Inshore
77 - 82 Offshore

Air temp.
Low - 74
High - 94

Hi folks,

Another great week of fly fishing here in Baja.  The fish are very spread both north and south.  What that means is we have a lot of fish in the area.  On most mornings we have been fly fishing for Tuna, Bonita, and Dorado just minutes from the hotel.  We have seen great action for these species in the area of Spa Buena Vista as well as in front of La Ribera.  Most of the Tuna have been on the smaller side with the average fish around ten to twelve pounds.  The occasional Tuna of thirty pounds are mixed in but the smaller fish have been getting to the fly first.  The Dorado have been our fish of the week.  They are very plentiful right now.  We are finding them almost everywhere.  Driss Bennani fished with me this past week and we had excellent fly fishing for Dorado.  One day we had a school of Dorado around the boat that kept us busy for over an hour.  We eventually left them to see what else we could find.  We found a great Marlin.  It was a first for Driss.  We have a lot of Bill fish in the area currently.  Most of the Bill fish have been offshore between three and ten miles.  We’ve had excellent fly fishing for Marlin as well as Sail fish this past week.  If you want to fly fish for Marlin here in the East Cape, now is a very good time.

Along the beach as well as inshore, we still have good fishing for Rooster fish, Green Jacks, small Pargo, and Lady fish.  We even still have a good Sierra bite in the area of Punta Colorada.  The biggest problem inshore has been getting through the Needle fish.  We have quite a few of them and they are aggressive toward the fly.  If you are patient and are willing to fight through them the other fish are there.  I had a great day yesterday fishing with Bill Nelson from Denver, Colorado.  We caught over a dozen Rooster fish while fishing inshore.  I will have to say we lost a few flies to Needle fish.

Over all the fly fishing here in Baja is in full swing.  Do not let the hot temperatures prevent you from coming down to fish with us as the fly fishing is even hotter. 

Until next time….Keep fishing!

Above is Tim Lee from Manhattan Beach, California.  Tim is showing off a spectacular Rooster fish we got from the beach.  I am very glad I could help Tim get this fish.

Matt and his first Rooster fish.  This is just one of many we caught.

Candace and her first Rooster fish.

Matt and a Dorado.

Another great Dorado.

The pictures above are of Matt and Candace Kern.  Matt and Candace spent the entire week with me.  We had many laughs as well as some very good fishing both from the boat as well as the beach. 

 Baja Mexico fly fishing update and report for July 19th - 26th 2010.
Written by
Jeff deBrown
Owner/Guide
www.thereelbaja.com
1-888-287-4076

Water temp.
75 - 78 Inshore
79 - 82 Offshore

Air temp.
Low - 74
High - 94

Hi folks,

This past week we had great weather.  We saw temperatures in the mid 90’s for most of the week.  We did wake up on Sunday to some cloudy skies and even some rain.  The rain was not very heavy.  It was just enough to keep the dust down on the streets and cool off the temperature a bit.  By mid day the clouds were gone and we were back to bright and sunny skies.

As some of you know over the past couple of weeks we have seen water that has been cooler than normal for this time of year.  I am happy to report that the California current that was providing us with the cooler water has moved more to the west and our water is warming back up and we are seeing some good results. 

Along the beach and inshore we continue to see decent numbers of fish.  We normally have many schools of smaller to medium sized Rooster fish in our area this time of year.  This year we do not seem to have as many of these schools in our area at the moment.  We do have a few of these schools but they are very scattered and hard to find.  We do however have some very big Rooster fish and Jacks along the beach and inshore.  The key has been getting them to eat.  We have so much bait that some of the fish seem very lazy and non interested in offerings by anglers.  I have even heard of reports of conventional anglers having Rooster fish race into their baits only to have the fish turn away or sometimes pick up the bait, hold it for a few seconds and then drop it.  What I love about fishing these fish is you never know what is going to happen.  Just look at the photos of Tim above.  That fish raced in and inhaled the fly and you see the results.  You just need to get out and fish as you will be rewarded.

Offshore has been the place to be over the past couple of weeks and once again that provided us with the most action.  We still have excellent fishing for Tuna in the area.  Some of the Tuna have been as close as half a mile offshore in the area of Buena Vista all the way out to about 40 miles.  Some of the Tuna have been on a few of the banks but the majority this week were associated with Porpoise.

Fishing for Dorado has picked up.  We are seeing good schools of Dorado from North to South.  The increase in Dorado is due to the water temperatures climbing back up into the low 80’s and that has brought the Dorado back to the area.  Most of the fish have been in small schools of two to six or eight fish in a school.  Most of them have been the perfect size for a fly rod running between eight and twenty pounds.

We also have a very good number of Bill fish in the area.  If you are looking to chase a Marlin or Sail fish on the fly here in the Baja the time is now.  Most of the fish have been fairly close with the best action coming in the afternoons as we see a little chop on the water from the afternoon breeze.

I will be out again this week as I have guests arriving tomorrow.  I will be sure to let you all know how we do.  If you are looking for some great salt water fly fishing here in Baja the time is now.  Give us a call and we will be glad to help you.

Until next time….Keep fishing! 

Here is Russ Heitz with a very nice Skip Jack.

Here is Russ once again with a great Yellow Fin Tuna.
 

Dan Newton (above) and Ed Machowski (directly above) displaying just a couple of the many Tuna they caught during the week we fished together.

Mike Ward and a little Tuna.

Just one of many Jacks Mike caught while fishing the beach.

A wonderful Dorado!

Mike and his wife showing off a double hook up.

Baja Mexico fly fishing update and report for July 12th 2010.
Written by
Jeff deBrown
Owner/Guide
www.thereelbaja.com
1-888-287-4076

Water temp. 76 - 80
Air temp. 74 - 92

Hi Everyone,

    These past couple of weeks the fishing has changed slightly but it is still going strong.    We have experienced overcast skies on most mornings that have kept the mornings very cool and comfortable.  On most days by noon the clouds have given way to bright and sunny skies with a good breeze from the South/Southeast.  These breezes have been quite strong on some days and that has resulted in cooler water moving around the corner and into our area slowing down the fishing slightly.  The first couple of days the cooler water caused very green and off colored water closer to shore.  This pushed the fleet further off shore in search of water that was warmer and blue.  Over the past couple of weeks most of the fishing has been located relatively close to shore within about twenty miles.  This week the fish were found about ten miles further out.  Some of the boats reported good fishing closer to shore late in the week but it was still a long run as the fish were found between here and San Jose off of Meganos Blancos.

As far as fishing, Tuna continue to be the big catch.  The Tuna are scattered throughout the area and most of them are associated with schools of porpoise.  We have had porpoise from very close to shore as far out as fifty miles.  If you find the right school the Tuna have been on the bite.  Most of the Tuna have been between ten and thirty pounds with fish over one hundred pounds being caught.

The fishing for Dorado remains spotty.  We did not see many fish early in the week but by the end of the week a decent school was located to our South providing anglers with decent action.  Our Dorado fishing has been hit or miss so far this season.  Some weeks it seems as if they have arrived and will stay for a while but just as you think that is the case they seem to move out of the area.  We are all hoping to see some more Dorado in the area as the water warms back up. I think we will start to see some excellent fishing for Dorado very soon. 

We have a good number of Bill fish in the area.  Most of them have been very close to shore in the cooler water.  We had a very good bite for Marlin just a mile or so off La Ribera late last week.  Most of the boats are not targeting them as the fishing for Tuna has provided most of the action.  If you want to catch a Bill fish on the fly now is the time to come.  We should continue to see the fishing for Marlin and Sail fish continue to get better as we slide into late July and early August.

Fly fishing for Rooster fish and Jacks off the beach has slowed slightly.  We still have plenty of fish in the area to chase but we also have an awful lot of bait along our beaches.  We have so much bait the fish seem to want to look at the fly but most of them have been refusing the offerings by anglers.  If you like to sight fish and are willing to devote the time and effort and do not get discouraged at fish inspecting but ignoring most offerings get out and fish the beach.  You never know when that fish will take the fly you are offering.

If it is variety you want we have plenty inshore.  I was on the boat with one of my guests last week and we did not leave the area in front of the hotel all day.  We fished in and around the rocks located directly off the beach at the hotel and we had great action the entire day.  We caught Pargo, Pompano, Lady fish, Trigger fish, Cabrilla, Rooster fish and three different types of Jacks as well as a dozen Sierra.  This time of year a lot of people forget about the inshore species that are located in and around the structure. 

This is a great time of year to come and fly fish Baja.  We have good and steady action for multiple species both inshore as well as off shore.  We have great weather this time of year and we are a very easy destionation to get to for most people.  If you want to come down and get in some great salt water fly fishing action, now is the time.

I will be on the water once again the entire upcoming week.  I will be sure to let everyone know how the fishing goes for my new guests.

Until then…keep fishing       

Baja Mexico fly fishing update and report for June 29th 2010.
Written by
Jeff deBrown
Owner/Guide
www.thereelbaja.com
1-888-287-4076

Water temp. 75 - 77
Air temp. 77 - 91

Hi folks,

As most of you know we have had a slower start to this year than any of us expected.  I am glad to say that we are now in full swing and the fishing is very good.  Along with the fishing we have calm seas and beautiful days that make Baja a great place to be this time of year.

From the beach we continue to see good numbers of Jacks as well as a fair number of Roosters.  These fish have all been very nice fish.  I have seen a few very big Roosters over the past couple of days and the Jacks are averaging twenty pounds.  We continue to see great action for Lady fish and smaller Jacks as well.

Inshore we have a good number of small to medium sized Roosters.  These fish are eating the sardina that we now have in the area.  The sardina are still quite small but very effective for chum.  I have heard of a number of very big Rooster fish being caught inshore but most of them have been in deep water and on bait.  We also continue to see decent schools of Jacks as well as Pompano just a little further out.

Offshore it is a wide open Tuna bite.  A lot of these fish have been associated with Porpoise.  We have many different schools of Porpoise in the area and the Tuna that have been found with them have been very nice.  The average fish has been about twenty pounds but I have seen fish come in as heavy as one hundred pounds.  We also have Tuna in and around the light house.  These fish are very close to shore and have responded to the sardina very well.  If you can get them to boil you can cast a fly in the school and get a hook up.  If it is Dorado you are looking for it is pretty good.  You have to go and look for them but if you find them you can have a great day.  We have had a few mixed in with the Tuna at the light house but most of the Dorado have been a little further to the south.  We continue to see very good numbers of Marlin and the Sail fish are starting to show in some decent numbers.  My anglers have not wanted to spend the time on Bill fish as the other species have provided great action but if you want a Bill fish now is a great time. 

Well I am off to the beach.  I have a great couple of guests here at the moment and we will be spending the next six days on the water.  I will be sure to report how we do.

Until next time……keep fishing!

Here is Ben Waldorf showing off his first ever Rooster fish.

Baja Mexico fly fishing update and report for June 14th 2010.
Written by
Jeff deBrown
Owner/Guide
www.thereelbaja.com
1-888-287-4076        

Water temp. 75 - 77
Air temp. 77 - 91

Hi folks,

This past week the fishing has been a little up and down.  This is due to the fact that we had a few days of very strong wind from the South, South East for most of the week.  As of yesterday the winds have calmed down and the fishing was very good the last two days.

Inshore and along the beach we continue to see steady activity for Rooster fish and Jacks.  The Rooster fish have not been as plentiful as in weeks past but we have enough around to keep anglers interested.  We have good populations of Mullet in the area and we are finally seeing some sardina in the area.  Most of the sardina are still quite small and it will be another couple of weeks before they can be caught but it is wonderful to see them in the area.  We have also had a blast this week catching Lady fish off the beach as well as the boat.  We have them everywhere and some of them are quite big.  I got out my 6wt. rod the other night and had a blast.  Some people think they are just a so-so fish to catch but I find them to be a blast especially on a light rod.

Offshore we continue to see excellent action for Tuna.  Unfortunately, they have been using chunk squid and fishing them very deep making them very hard to catch using flies.  We do, however, have a good number of Marlin in the area giving the fly fishing angler a very good chance at catching a Bill fish on the fly.  I got into a few Dorado the other day on the boat with my guest and I heard of a decent school of Dorado being found today under a school of birds just in front of La Ribera.  The numbers of Dorado are getting better every day and we should start to see enough of them in the coming weeks to give us some consistent action for the anglers looking to fly fish for Doardo.

I will be on the beach as well as in the boat this coming week.  I will be sure to let everyone know how we do.  Be sure to stay tuned.

Until then…..Keep fishing!

Baja Mexico fly fishing update and report for June 3rd 2010.
Written by
Jeff deBrown
Owner/Guide
www.thereelbaja.com
 1-888-287-4076

Water temp. 76 - 80
Air temp. 74 - 91

Hi everyone,   

This past week was a great one.  Once again we held the 2nd annual Moldy Chum extravaganza.  You can see photos from the trip at http://www.moldychum.com/.  They will be doing  another trip with us next year and we are looking forward to all the gang returning.

This past week the group experienced some great inshore and beach fishing.  The beach fishing for Rooster fish was very good with everyone getting heart pounding action.  We had some anglers saying that they caught more fish in one day this year than they did on the entire trip last year.  At the end of the week we had a good number of Rooster fish along with too many lady fish to count as well as some very nice jacks and even a 20lb. Pompano.  This was all from the beach!!  The boats did extremely well also.

Currently along the beach and inshore we continue to see good action for Rooster fish, jacks and all the lady fish one can catch.  We currently have a good population of bait along the beaches as well as inshore.  This bait consists of mullet and ballyhoo.  We are finally starting to see a few sardina in the area but they are still very small.  The bait population should continue to grow.  With that the fishing inshore and along the beach should continue to produce the wonderful action we saw last week. 

Off shore the tuna have arrived once again.  We saw a drop in them about ten days ago due to illegal commercial fishing.  They are back and it is great to see most of the boats looking for them are returning successful.  We also have a strong marlin population in the area.  The marlin were not eating well last week as we experienced the full moon but over the past couple of days they have started to eat the offerings presented by anglers.  The fishing for Dorado is picking up.  It is still not red hot but we are getting there.

Once again I would like to say Thank You to the Moldy Chum Group for a great week.  Dick(pictured above) and his son Patrick are just getting started with me.  The first day out Patrick caught a nice Rooster fish (photo’s coming) and dad has followed up with a jack.  I will be sure to let you all know how we do over the next few days.

Until next time……Keep fishing.

Adam Rich and a nice Rooster fish.

Here is Garett Gill and TRB guide Lance Peterson showing off a nice Jack that Garett caught from the beach.

Baja Mexico fly fishing update and report for May 26th 2010.
Written by
Jeff deBrown
Owner/Guide
www.thereelbaja.com
1-888-287-4076

Water temp. 75 - 78
Air temp. 73 - 93

Hi folks,

Fishing this past week was pretty good over all.  We still do not have any Sardina in the area for bait, so if you want them you have to make the long run to the North as they seem to be hanging off the South end of the island.

For those who did make the long run to the North for bait the inshore fly fishing action for Rooster fish and Lady fish along the beach and inshore was very good.  Most of the Rooster fish were in the 2-5 pound class with the occasional double digit fish showing up.  We have a few nice Jacks in the area but the massive schools that we saw for so many weeks have left the area.  I got a report of great fishing for Jacks on the Pacific side so I guess they have moved around the corner.

Offshore we continue to see decent action for Tuna.  These fish have been offshore under porpoise as well as to our South off Frailes.  The fishing for Marlin has picked up and we have a good number of them in the area.  The most action this past week came from the boats fishing from 1-3 miles out.  The fish seemed to be in the area from Cabo Pulmo to the Lighthouse.  The fishing for Dorado is improving but we still do not have them here in high numbers.  As the water continues to warm up, we should start to see more of them in the area.

I have a great group of anglers arriving today.  Eric Rathburn and the Moldy Chum group will be fishing with us the next few days.  I am looking forward to spending time with them as they are always a very fun group.  We will be fishing the next four days from the beach as well as offshore.  I will be sure to let everyone know how we do.

Until next time…..keep fishing.    

Water temp. 75 - 77
Air temp. 67 - 90

Hi folks,

    The weather has warmed up and it seems as if it changed over night.  We were having to put on a light jacket early in the morning just a few days ago but now we have temperatures in the mid 70’s as we get on the boat.  Our afternoon highs are in the low 90’s already.

    On the fishing front we are continuing to see improvement.   Inshore fly fishing for big Rooster fish and Jacks are keeping all the fly fishing anglers busy.  We’ve had more rods on the beach in the past month than I have ever seen.  Where did all the people come from?  This past week if you could find a place to fish on the beach without encroaching on someone else you’d have a good chance at some action.  Finding that spot was very tough with all the traffic!!  We had people everywhere.  They were camping, driving rigs up and down the beach as well as riding ATV’s. It was crazy.  One day, I counted 31 fly fishing anglers along the beaches here.  I have never seen that many in an entire season it seems.  We are not seeing as many fish in groups of schools but more individual fish this past week.  These fish have been quite tough to catch.  On some days they are very active, chasing the bait and feeding heavily and on other days they will be sluggish and just push the bait around as to say I could get you if I really wanted to.  If you kept at it you were provided with some good opportunities.

    Offshore, we have a few Tuna in the area.  They are a long run of between 30 and 40 miles.  Most of them have been on the smaller side between 5 and 10 pounds but if you hit the right school, the fish have been between 35 and 40 pounds.  We are seeing a fair number of Marlin in the area as well.  Most of them have not wanted the offerings by the boats but a few have taken the bait.  The fishing for Dorado is getting better each day.  They are not here in full force but the numbers of fish are getting better each day.

I will be on the water the entire week.  I will be sure to keep you all informed.

Until next time….keep fishing.

Baja Mexico fly fishing update and report for April 27th 2010.
Written by
Jeff deBrown
Owner/Guide
www.thereelbaja.com
1-888-287-4076

Water temp. 70 - 73
Air temp. 65 - 83

Hi folks,

Last week we had a little of everything.  We started the week with beautiful conditions and fish in the area.  On Thursday, we experienced very hard winds from the North.  The wind kept all the anglers in the area off the water for three days.  The winds finally died down yesterday and we are back to beautiful weather and flat calm seas.  Our temperatures are perfect.  We have just a little nip in the air very early in the morning as the sun is coming up and we are having breakfast.  It is cool enough, that when the boats leave the dock for a day of angling some guests are wearing a light jacket.  These jackets are not staying on long as it is warming up quickly once the sun peaks over the horizon.

On the fishing front, the wind we experienced dropped the water temperatures in the area by about one or two degrees in some areas.  The fishing was slow the first day after the wind but has started to rebound over the past couple of days.  Inshore, we are still seeing good action for larger Rooster fish and Jacks even though we still do not have any Sardina in the area.  We do have some Mullet that has shown up in the area.  Even with the Mullet they are beginning to get very selective.   We are finding that some of them are very active while others will just not respond to any offering and this includes live bait.  This is the time of year when these fish start to enter the spawn so depending on what stage they are in, you could have some very hot and heavy action or just a “no thanks” as the fish ignores your offering.

Offshore the fishing for Marlin has slowed down from what it was a couple of weeks ago.  We still have fish in the area and today I saw more Bill fish flags than I have in the last week or so.  We have had a few Dorado in the area yesterday and today.  I heard on the radio today about a school of Dorado that kept anglers busy for a while.  As many of you know, we have not seen any Tuna over the past few weeks but a boat in the hotel found a few yesterday and once again today.  I hope this is a sign of good things to come.

 I am on the water every day for the next two months.  I will be sure to keep everyone informed of the action.

 Until next time….keep fishing.