Frequently ignored, the area below the border provides outstanding deep-sea fishing.
By Gordon Cruise McBride
As a San Diego resident, I often hear complaints about fishing: “It’s not like it used to be” or “We spent $500 on gas during a 10-hour trip and caught nothing.”
My advice to them is to invest a little in gas for their vehicle, load up, and travel to Bahía Asunción in Mexico. This hidden gem is well-known among avid anglers who journey down the Baja coast for its abundant deep-sea fishing opportunities.
Recently, I returned from a five-day fishing excursion with two friends from San Diego. From the moment we cast our lines until packing the van to return home, we enjoyed continuous action on the water.
In Bahía Asunción, the sunlit coastline flanked by rugged cliffs and turquoise waters creates a backdrop for an unforgettable adventure for all dissatisfied anglers. We enlisted a local guide for three days of fishing. This experience is a far cry from a luxurious Marina del Rey, Calif., fishing trip on a 70-foot yacht with a hostess and an assistant to help with a 50-pound yellowfin tuna.
For $350 daily, our guide Miguel collected us from our nearby campground before dawn, and we marveled as he carefully launched his 28-foot boat into the water as the sun emerged.
Bahía Asunción’s nutrient-rich waters serve as a sanctuary for diverse marine life, making it a popular choice for anglers seeking both challenge and reward. The depths here teem with numerous fish species, each with distinct traits and allure.
Writer Gordon Cruise McBride caught a yellowfin tuna while fishing in Bahía Asunción.
One of the most prized catches in Bahía Asunción is the impressive yellowfin tuna. These fast and powerful predators travel in large schools, making them a prime target for anglers seeking an exhilarating fight. The excitement of hooking a yellowfin tuna, feeling the line sing as it slices through the water, is an unforgettable experience for any fortunate angler.
The Adventure Begins: San Diego to Bahía Asunción
The journey from San Diego or Los Angeles to Bahía Asunción is an adventure in its own right, filled with stunning landscapes and appealing stops. To avoid the lengthy delays at Tijuana, we opted to cross the border in Mexicali, just a pleasant two-hour drive from San Diego.
There was no line at the border, and we quickly headed down Highway 5, an engaging 8.5-hour drive to our destination. We passed through San Felipe, a charming coastal town on the Sea of Cortez with excellent restaurants serving fresh seafood. San Felipe is also an ideal spot to replenish any supplies needed.
The drive offers breathtaking vistas of Baja California.
The journey to Bahía Asunción provides chances to explore hidden treasures along the way. Highway 5 is surprisingly well-maintained, and a family car can easily handle the trip. The highway features helpful mile markers, and on our way, we glimpsed the striking Picacho del Diablo (“Devil’s Peak”) to our right, the tallest peak at 10,157 feet on the Baja California peninsula.
We passed Playa Polaco, a favorite destination for Polish tourists gathering for Thanksgiving since the early 1980s. At mile marker 74, travelers can enjoy two hot pools fed by the tide and hot springs, a perfect place to unwind. Watch for stunning views of the Sea of Cortez and neighboring islands as you approach Marker 100.
Past Marker 150, an astounding cactus forest stretches for miles. Another “forest” appears at Marker 170, providing a fantastic photo opportunity to capture your journey through the Mexican desert.
Everyone we spoke to advised against nighttime driving due to the risk of encountering a herd of cows on the road. (We almost faced this challenge rounding a corner before a hill!)
Bahía Asunción camping and fishing
The first sighting of Bahía Asunción’s azure waters marks the start of a maritime adventure. The town is a colorful mosaic filled with friendly locals, featuring a few street eateries and a well-stocked grocery store.
It’s time to savor some fresh fish after catching snapper, grouper, and yellowtail.
We arrived just before sundown and set up camp at Campo Sirena, a local campground offering electricity, water, Wi-Fi, laundry facilities, and a clubhouse with a bathroom, shower, and library right off the beach. You can park your vehicle on the compact sand/earth. There aren’t organized “sites,” so it operates on a first-come, first-served basis for $15 per night. Stores, restaurants, and a gas station are only a couple of blocks away.
Early the next morning, Miguel picked us up in his truck before dawn, and we launched the boat with his vehicle. As the sun climbed higher, we navigated north along the Pacific coast, and Miguel pointed out the maritime lookout posts where watchkeepers monitor the ocean’s activities. I believe they earn about $100 a month.
I bragged to my friends that I would catch the first Mahi-Mahi, or dorado, as the locals refer to this strikingly colorful sportfish. Known for their vibrant hues and acrobatic maneuvers, elusive dorados are favorites among sport fishermen. Catching them demands skill due to their unpredictable strikes and gusting bursts of speed, making it a unique challenge to reel them onto the boat before they toss your lure back into the sea with a leap and shake.
Bahía Asunción’s underwater realm also contains the mysterious marlin, representing the power and strength of the open ocean. Witnessing a marlin leaping from the water, its dorsal fin soaring through the air is an awe-inspiring spectacle. Although we didn’t sight any marlin or swordfish, we were greeted daily by a pod of enormous gray whales frolicking in our vicinity.
Our guide mentioned that our catch could include snapper, grouper, and yellowtail, abundant in the rocky seabed, adding a delightful touch to our day’s haul. The wide variety of fish in Bahía Asunción guarantees every angler, regardless of experience, can find a worthy adversary beneath the waves.
Our first target was yellowtail, caught by dropping weighted lures to the ocean floor and reeling in quickly. The yellowtail would bite as we pulled towards the surface, with the exhilarating fight beginning. We landed 15 sizable yellowtails along with 20 bonito. Although bonito is enjoyable to eat, many anglers prefer not to keep it.
After several hours of speed-reeling, we ventured further offshore to find yellowfin tuna, and it didn’t take long trolling at 7 to 9 knots before we encountered a school of eager tuna. The deep-sea fishing areas of Bahía Asunción are famous for their formidable yellowfin tuna. Anglers worldwide flock to these waters, tempted by the prospect of battling one of the ocean’s mightiest predators. With their sleek, torpedo-like bodies, yellowfin tuna swim in schools, presenting a significant challenge for those pursuing the ultimate trophy catch, and we were not let down.
If it’s your first time fishing for yellowfin tuna, brace yourself for the initial strike—a surge of energy coursing through the line that signals the start of the contest between angler and fish. The unmatched speed and force of yellowfin tuna push the limits of both the angler and the fishing gear. If the drag is too tight, they will snap the line instantly. If it’s too loose, they will run off your entire spool before you can react. Therefore, it’s wise to seek help from your charter captain for proper reel settings if you’re inexperienced.
After returning to shore, the crew began filleting the yellowfin tuna we caught.
With Miguel’s skilled eyes, we landed 15 yellowfin on our first day, each weighing between 30 and 48 pounds. On the second day, we retraced our route, landing another 15 yellowtails in the morning before trolling for yellowfin and dorado. We stopped fishing when we agreed we couldn’t fillet and freeze any more fish, returning to camp where Miguel and his young helper cleaned the fish for us, which we vacuum-sealed using the machine we had brought along.
By the end of our second day of fishing, our camper’s three small chest freezers were full. It was time to head back to reality. After a BBQ dinner featuring fresh yellowtail, we called it a night and were back on the road the following morning as the sun rose.
A direct return to Mexicali, an easy border crossing, and enough fish to last until next year, when we plan to return in search of that elusive marlin.
Contacts
Miguel’s Sport Fishing Charters, +52 646-290-7270
Campo Sirena Campground, +52 615-155-7197
Alongside excellent fishing, Bahía Asunción boasts stunning sunrises and sunsets.