Fishing in La Paz, Baja California
Cabo San Lucas has bars, tourists and a frenetic pace. When you have had enough of those, head two hours northeast to La Paz, which has all of those and one more element - peace

Note: This information is old. The basics probably still apply, but costs are going to be different.

Getting There

You can fly direct to La Paz, but it will probably be cheaper to fly into the Los Cabos airport. Airlines generally offer better deals there.

Share a taxi into San Jose at a cost of U.S. $6 (1996 prices) each. Or , depending on the time of day, make arrangements to get to La Paz directly.

The taxi fare to Cabo is 100 pesos. A bus will charge 7 pesos.

It is possible to catch a bus in San Jose for La Paz, but it takes longer to get there, going by a tortuous inland route. From Cabo buses take a more direct and shorter route.

From Cabo to La Paz the bus fare was 35 pesos, and it took two to three hours.

In La Paz the bus first goes to the central bus terminal, but there is another stop on the Malecon. Since most tourists will be staying near there it might be better to wait for the second stop.

One of La Paz's famed sunsets. Viewing it from one of the restaurants on the Malecon, with a tub of margarita on hand, perhaps a lady to share it with, is an unforgettable experience.

The town lives up to its name: Paz means peace if you didn't know it.

The earthly pleasures of nighttime Cabo are attractive, but you should turn to La Paz when you have had enough of Cabo's offerings and need rejuvenation.

Teeming marketplaces, good food, beaches, fishing, canoeing, snorkeling - La Paz has all of these.

And the atmosphere is very different from that of Cabo.

The fewer tourists means La Paz's Mexican flavor is undiluted. Even the hotels do not convey the overwhelming impression of Americana as they do in Cabo and other Mexican resorts.

The warm waters near La Paz are considered one of the best fishing grounds anywhere. Famous for such aristocrats as marlin, they provide other types of fishing as well - luckily for us.

If you are after marlin you should find out when they are around. In May, for instance, they are scarce.

Other than the thrill of feeling a big fish fighting at the end of the line, just being on the sea is reward enough - as long as you don't get seasick.

There are plenty of outfitters to select from. Some of the hotels will have them, or direct you to them.

The charge for fishing was $180 for two, plus a tip for the boat owner, about $20.

You need to show up at 5 a.m.  Then you may be bused about an hour away to the east cape, where the boats wait.

An angler with a  needlefish.

Getting marlin is a cross between fishing and hunting: usually you see the fish first and then go out to get it.

Incidentally, the continental shelf is very steep off this coast and you may be fishing in waters that are a mile deep.

If you have no luck with marlin the boat may mov closer inshore, trolling with live bait.

Fishing can be better there: with rooster fish,  needlefish, some tuna and various rockfish. You can easily get over 100 pounds of fish, which make good eating. 

Big rock fish (red snapper and the like) are hard to land because  the water is too shallow - the fish take big bait but then get down into the rocks.

The roosterfish has dark meat, which may put some people off. But the meat has excellent texture and doesn't taste fishy at all - a plus point for some people.

Mahi Mahi

A big mahi mahi nears the boat. They are also known as dorado, or dolphin fish, though they are not a dolphin. You can freeze the fish at the hotel or with the outfitter, and take the fillets back in coolers  (beware! airlines frown on styrofoam coolers!). You can also have the hotel kitchen cook the fish.

Hard to believe, but  these fish were used as live bait part of the time!