By Paul Lebowitz

Hot yellowtail action and steady bottom fishing draw anglers back year after year in spite of the midriff’s notorious winds

It was April at LA Bay. The sun was shining and the water out past Islas Ventana and Horsehead was blue and clear and trembling with bait. Fishing conditions were nearly perfect. Only the steady 20 knot onshore wind was less than ideal. I was glad to be working my iron from the comfortable deck of a panga rather than the much wetter seat of a kayak.

Only the day before I’d been on my kayak fishing the southeast corner of the bay, where steep parched mountains plunge into the water. The drop-off seemed paved with the comical looking, hard-pulling triggerfish that taste so good in ceviche.

Other reef denizens snapped at the simple Krocodile spoon, providing a fun tussle on lightweight bass gear spooled up with 12-pound test. I was looking for something different, the bigger game Bahia de los Angeles is known for. I wanted yellowtail, and headed toward their dependable haunts, the islands that march across the mouth of the bay.

I paddled my kayak northeast beyond the sheltering tip of Punta Roja, where I was tantalized by the sight of acres of birds working bait schools a mile away toward Islas Twins. Buffeted by the furious wind in my face, I put my head down and paddled hard to reach the frenzied action.

Twenty minutes later, arms and shoulders burning with the effort, I looked up only to see my goal no closer. I turned tail and went back to fishing for triggerfish and spotted bay bass in the lee at the foot of the mountains.

You’ve got to know your limitations. LA Bay is often a wonderland of stark scenery and abundant marine life, prime ingredients for a stealthy kayak fishing adventure. At other times the notoriously windy place is best experienced from a panga, private boat or even while high and dry on shore. Hazardous gale force winds can blow any time of year.

LA Bay’s true ill wind screams in from the west, unlike the friendlier onshore flow that sent me scurrying in my kayak back to shelter. Barry Brightenburg of Fish Trap Lures passed on some good local weather sense gleaned from the LA Bay pangueros.

“If you see cloud formations building on the peaks west of the bay get off the water fast. Don’t wait because it comes like a freight train,” said Brightenburg, who suggested private boaters consider hiring a guide for their first trips to LA Bay. When they blow, the westerlies can exceed 40 knots.

Wind or not, anglers keep trucking down the ribbon of pavement that leads from Mexico Highway 1 and on into the small but growing town. The fishing is that good.

“There’s some great fishing in the area,” enthused Scott Donaghe. The San Diego angler visited LA Bay last May on a two-boat friends and family trip. After launching their private boats at LA Bay’s iconic Guillermo’s hotel, the group set off on a 5-day sojourn that saw them catching Humboldt squid and grouper on the fly. Later they ran into a tremendous jig bite on 10 to 15-lb. yellowtail.

“We’d be pulling in a Salas and there’d be 15 yellowtail following it,” said Donaghe, whose group also caught some real oddballs such as a big-mouthed jawfish. Like many other LA Bay visitors, Donaghe said aggressive fish chewed the paint right off his lures.

That’s a given even when the yellowtail aren’t biting, like my April day in the panga. In spite of all the positive signs and the absolute mayhem of the prior day, they pulled a no-show. Instead we headed over to a deep water structure spot off Isla Ventana and commenced jigging.

In short order a procession of cabrilla came aboard, including gold spotted bass and LA Bay’s ever present cabrilla pintica, or spotted bay bass. Yes, the same fish found in the shallows of San Diego, Mission, and Newport Bays. The spirited spotties are incredibly abundant in the LA Bay region, where they can keep a shore caster occupied for hours.

There are leopard grouper too, and the highly sought gulf grouper that can grow to prodigious size. Like virtually every fish that lives here, when hooked they attempt to bolt into the rocks. Better turn them fast.

The typical LA Bay angler’s toolbox runs from heavy iron and line to match, all the way to small spoons suitable for fishing on lighter line just right for spicing up a walk along the shore. Out on the water, minnow-shaped plugs with heavy duty hooks designed for saltwater also produce. One example is the Rapala CD-11 or 14. It’s also a good idea to pack a few sabiki rigs, the multi-hooked gangions used to catch bait.   

Supplies are more plentiful in town than they were in days past. Gasoline, dispensed not so long ago from 55-gallon drums, is now usually available at a PEMEX station. Avoid delays. Tank up on the way here; if they run out, you could be waiting for days.

LA Bay is not as sleepy as it once was. Staples including ice and the beverages that in this arid desert outpost roll so sweetly over a thirsty tongue are sold in a number of small markets. Tasty restaurant meals are served on patios, bay-view terraces, in air-conditioned dining rooms and outside rustic shacks throughout town. 

There are close to a dozen places to rent a room for the night, and some of them advertise air conditioning. Among the latter are Guillermo’s, Casa Diaz, Costa del Sol and Villa Vitta, although this listing may be incomplete or even incorrect. Power is subject to interruption; some properties run generators but only during the day.

Panga rentals can be arranged at several of the hotels. Guillermo’s super-pangas reportedly fish six people and go for $300 a day. Less expensive alternatives are usually available, like the panga I fished on.

MORE THAN YELLOWTAIL – LA Bay is famous for yellowtail, but has a lot more to offer. A vast array of fish inhabits the rocky reefs and drop-offs. One of the most highly sought after bottom dwellers is the leopard grouper, referred to locally as yet another cabrilla. This one was caught by Valerie Beckwith.

TRIGGER TIME – Even when the east wind blows, kayak anglers can find fun fishing for smaller reef fish such as the odd-looking triggerfish. These guys are tough battlers that will bulldog right into the rocks. Their buck-toothed incisors twist light hooks into pretzels.

BOLA YELLOWTAIL – The average size of Bay of LA yellowtail has declined over the years to 10 or 15 lbs. In the summer when the water warms up and the air sizzles, the yellowtail bite can be red hot. This one was caught deep inside the bay by Al Silebi.

BIG BAQUETA – Chico Leonard shows off a chunky, deep water baqueta, one of the larger bottom fish found in the area.

My Spanish speaking fishing buddy Al Silebi hired a commercial fisherman to take us out for the day. Of course, when it comes to any service, you usually get what you pay for. Although more or less reliable, the average Mexican fisherman’s panga usually lacks safety gear. It’s a good idea to bring along some of your own if you don’t go with a tourist-oriented operation.

Private boaters will find a launch ramp at Guillermo’s. Some private boaters eschew the ramp fee and risk launching over the sand. Consider whether it’s worth the hassle of potentially getting stuck. The fee includes parking at Guillermo’s. Take all of your valuables. A few anglers have reported break-ins. 

For beach campers, the best options are now north of town out toward Punta la Gringa. Follow the road past the end of the pavement, look for a nice place and set up. Someone may come by to collect a camping fee of a few dollars, typically $5 per night per vehicle. Don’t look for Camp Gecko; that spot closest to the sheltered south end of the bay, a favorite of kayakers, has closed. Isla Smith should be adequate solace; the 6-mile long island lies only about a mile offshore of the Punta La Gringa area and is a much more likely spot for yellowtail.      

In general, the hotter the temperature, the better the fishing. Yellowtail season runs from spring through fall. Brightenburg likes the fall best of all. “The fishing is phenomenal overall. Like anyplace else, it can be on or off,” Brightenburg pointed out.

WHERE BROWN DESERT MEETS BLUE SEA – The beautiful Bahia de los Angeles is located about 10 hours south of the US-Mexico border. A long day’s drive from home, the fishing is more tropical than anything back in California.