La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Dec. 24, 2025-Jan. 8, 2026
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN REPORT
WATER: Cooled considerably down to the low 60’s now and dark and murky. However, there are some isolated spots in the higher 60’s to low 70’s. Often pretty rough however, depending on the prevailing winds.
WIND: Blowing mostly from the north and often gusting 15-20 mph. making it pretty rough. Seems that several days a week the port captain shuts down all boat traffic or, even if it’s open, it can be pretty uncomfortable. The days of a flat ocean are the exception.
FISH HOOKED THIS PERIOD: Bonito, jack crevalle, cabrilla, pargo liso, dog-tooth snapper, triggerfish, tuna, amberjack, rainbow runner, yellowtail
THE MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Mark Labac and his amigo just had one day to fish, but found an unusual (for this time of year) yellowfin tuna; a small yellowtail and a nice cabrilla. They also said they had alot of fun with a couple of dozen bonito. No shortage of action. They had a bunch of their fish cooked up at our Tailhunter Restaurant.
That’s a pig of a dog-tooth (cubera) snapper for Greg Earles who spends about 3 weeks with us for his birthday escaping Michigan. He always does great and takes home a nice load of fish! Always good to have him in town. He makes alot of friends!
You always remember those first fish! Young 10-year-old Duncan got out one day with his dad…his first fishing on the ocean…and took (and released) this roosterfish and a few other fun species!
Greg with a nice tasty rainbow runner off Punta Perrico. These are cousin to the yellowtail.
Plenty of hard-pulling action on all the bonito in the waters right now. Pound-for-pound lots of fun, especially for your first time on the water!
There hasn’t really been much to report. But that’s pretty typical this time of year. During the season, we do more fishing in one day than we do from November to March.
There’s still fish around. In fact, there’s a surprising variety of fish in the waters right now. Not alot, but enough to have fun.
There’s the usual cold-water inshore species like pargo, cabrilla, snapper, dog-tooth, triggerfish, some yellowtail…some amberjack…but also regulars like bonito and jack crevalle for fun and even some smaller roosterfish. Also, surprising species like a few holdover dorado, wahoo, tuna and billfish.
The problem…getting out on the water and finding a day when the winter winds aren’t blowing. And about at least half-the time, they’re blowing! Some days up to 20 mph.
Most of the folks who want to fish this time of year, aren’t hardcore anglers. Many are snowbirds just enjoying some winter sunshine on vacation who decide they want a day of fishing.
If the winds are blowing, it’s no fun getting wet and bounced around and possibly seasick. Especially if you’ve got family or kids. In many cases, these are families down here this time of year. No fun if you get blown off or bounced off…or cancelled.
Actually, at least 1-3 days per week, it’s so rough the port captain has been shutting own the port because of safety reasons. It may look calm in the bay, but outside can be treacherous. If the port is closed, that means all boats are locked in and locked out. No fishing, SCUBA, snorkeling, swimming with whalesharks…even commercial boats.
So, you really have to be flexible on choosing dates for water activities.
If you’re planning to come down, check with me first so I can look at an extended forecast for the coming week or the dates you want to go out. The coming week actually is looking like one of the better weeks for minimal winds.
WE’RE ON THE ROAD COMING TO SEE YOU!
Jilly and I are headed out on the road for our 31st year. We’ll hopefully be in YOUR neighborhood to come see us in our booth. Come visit if you’re in the area!
We’ll be at the first show next week! We have missed it the last 3 years because of scheduling conflicts, but we’re coming back to the International Sportsmans Expo at the California State Fairgrounds in Sacramento.
It runs from Jan. 15-18 (Thursday to Sunday). We’ll be in our booth every day and it’ll be so great to see so many of our friends and Tailhunter Tribe! We’ve missed ya’ll. Let’s also talk about getting you back to see us in La Paz. We don’t have too many more years left, I am thinking!
After that, we head to Reno for the Wild Sheep Foundation Show. It’s at the Reno Convention Center Jan. 22-24. (Wednesday to Saturday) .
Hope to catch you along the trail and also see you in La Paz in 2026!
Here’s the full schedule:
International Sportsman’s Expo – California State Fairgrounds in Sacramento CA
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Dec. 12-23, 2025
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN REPORT
WEATHER: Mostly sunny and pleasant in the high 70’s to low 80’s dropping to the 60’s at night. Winds kicking 10-20 mph some days.
WATER: Normally chilly, but since we’re seeing dorado, tuna and some billfish, there must be spots of warmer water.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: Dorado, pargo liso, dog-tooth snapper, tuna, sierra, cabrilla, jack crevalle, roosterfish, yellow snapper, jack crevalle.
THE MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
Nice dog-tooth snapper (pargo perro) for Greg Earles! These are beasts! Greg comes down from Minnesota each winter for about 3 weeks and can pick the best non-windy days to fish and always does well. He also takes great photos. That’s why all the photos this week are of him!
Roosterfish in December? Crazy, but still fun. He caught several and released them all!
Another species we don’t usually find in the winter! Dorado are warm water fish and usually the waters are too cold in the winter, but check this out! Also, Greg has a couple of nice cabrilla which are more typical of this time of year.
Some of the toughest fighters in our waters are these pargo liso (mullet snapper). Again, we usually don’t find these here this time of year. Mostly, they are a spring-time fish and can get quite huge into the 50 pound range or larger! We have the world record 46 pounder, but I’ve seen them much larger.
Nice variety! Pargo liso, dog-tooth snapper, yellow snapper, a cabrilla and a white bonito!
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Lots of days are still too windy or rough to fish for most folks, but that’s fairly typical during the off-season from October to about April when the northern winds blow.
Again like I say, not much of anyone fishing and I turn folks away every day when the wind forecast on the day they want to fish shows that the winds are blowing or if the port captain has shut down the port. There are some very nice days, but it can be very erratic and unpredictable.
Also, many folks who want to fish this time of year, aren’t hardcore anglers like all the folks we get during the season from May to October when we have 10-30 anglers fishing each day! The folks in town now are here on vacation enjoying the town and Christmas holidays. Many have families.
Suddenly, they decide they want to fish one day! Often, after I tell them about the conditions they change their minds. Not a bad idea, especially if they have kids with them. We want everyone to have a good time, not get bounced and wet and cold and maybe ….SEASICK!
To that point, on the non-windy days, there’s some surprising fishing.
The variety is pretty surprising. Warm water species like dorado a few tuna and we even saw a blue marlin show up. It’s not a crazy bite, but here-and-there, there must be some warmer water around in spots since those are warmer water species.
But the cold water species are also chewing pretty well also. Cabrilla, snapper, sierra and smaller amberjack are feeding, but also some big cubera snapper (dog-tooth) and the big pargo liso (mullet snapper) that we usually don’t see until March or April have appeared in our waters!
On top of that, there are small roosterfish feeding along the shallow sand beaches.
You just have to pick your spot and days carefully!
ROAD TOUR COMING UP!
In 3 weeks, we’ll be hitting the road for our 31st year! Jill and I will be in our booth and it would be great to see you if you can make it to any of our shows. Come say hi and let’s get you set up to come visit us in La Paz this year . Dates are already filling so it would even be better if you can let us know ahead of time!
Check out the schedule below! The first two shoes are in Sacramento CA and Reno!
International Sportsman’s Expo – California State Fairgrounds in Sacramento CA
Hard to believe 2025 is almost at it’s conclusion! But we wanted to wish you…all of our friends, guests and Tailhunter Tribe members a safe, happy and peaceful holidays and Christmas. We are immensely grateful and we wish you many blessings always! Hope to see you in 2026!
That’s our story!
Jonathan & Jilly
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter Sportfishing www.tailhunter.comMexico Office:
Tailhunter Sportfishing
755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter Sportfishing
8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178 La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Dec.2-10, 2025
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: As could be expected this time of the year, very erratic. Nice days puntuated by stretches of strong northern winds blowing folks off the water plus some heavy rainstorms that hit.
WATER: Definitely rougher, colder and cloudier from all the turbulence.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: If you could get out or did get out, sierra, pompano, trevally, jack crevalle, bonito, cabrilla and triggerfish.
THE MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
It rained hard enough to cause landslides and traffic jams from flooding plus clog up the cities drainage systems.
My windshield wipers are terrible. The sun cooks and dries them out most of the year so when it finally rains, they are just a tad above useless…like everyone else.
Well…if you’ve been reading my reports for any length of time, you know I don’t pull punches. Best to be honest and up-front. Especially when it comes to weather and fishing reports!
But the truth of things is that, there’s a good chance by the time you’re reading this, things will have changed. It doesn’t stay bad for long. The fish don’t shut down for long. There’s usually more good days than bad days and if you don’t like any particular report…just wait!
That being said, this just that time of year. It’s WINTER!
Although we usually don’t get the kind of rainstorm that hit La Paz a few days ago, we DO get the fierce northern winds and that has precipitated not going out on the water or outright, the port captain makes the decision for you and has shut down the port to all boat traffic. So, no fishing, diving, snorkeling, swimming with the whalehsharks, kayaking or even commercial boat traffic.
That’s the the straight story on things.
If you’re coming down, just be flexible in your schedule. Or scout the weather forecast ahead. If your first choice in days looks bad, at least be ready to change days.
Or ask me!!! Even if you’re booking with someone else, at least, I will give you an honest opinion before you spend your money or alternatively spend your money…got out..and get blown back to shore or seasick…or both!
Fortunately, since the last report, I didn’t have to cancel anyone because I didn’t book anyone because I warned folks about the weather. But, I heard folks who booked with other outfitters had issues.
Plus, we had this freaky heavy rainstorm that hit also! Crazy hard rain. It caused flooding and landslides. Traffic snarls and backed-up drains. Electrical outages and flood damage!
The fish that were caught are from reports that I got from local friends and commercial fishermen who were able to get out for a few hours here and there. No one really venturing too far from shore or these are friends who fish commercially so that have to go out on the water to feed their families.
The forecast for the coming week shows warmer temps in the low 80’s, but strong winds again, especially in the afternooons.
If you want to fish, reach out to me and I’ll look at the forecast. Also give us a few days so we can check which days would be better. We might not be able to fish out with our La Paz fleet, but we can most likely fish you with our fleet at Las Arenas because the area is more protected.
JILL AND I HIT THE ROAD!
It’s road tour time again and we’re excited. This will be 31 years for Tailhunter and maybe 40 if you count the other companies I repped back in the day.
These shows are great for the whole family with all kinds of vendors from around the world of hunting, fishing, camping, RV’s, travel plus equipment, gear and so much more!
We will be on the road from January through March and hopefully close enough to wherever you live to come visit us!
Jilly and I will be in booth every day. Come bay and say hi and let’s get you set up to come fishing this year in La Paz! Or better yet, don’t wait. Reservations are already coming in and dates are starting to full. Get in touch with us. We don’t want to miss you!
International Sportsman’s Expo – California State Fairgrounds in Sacramento CA
Good to see old friends and meet new ones at the Western Hunt Show. Our amigos here are all celebrating the fact that all of them will be coming to see us
That’s our story!
Jonathan & Jilly
Jonathan Roldan’s
Tailhunter Sportfishing www.tailhunter.comMexico Office:
Tailhunter Sportfishing
755 Paseo Obregon, La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
U.S. Mailing Address: Tailhunter Sportfishing
8030 La Mesa Blvd. #178 La Mesa CA 91942
Phones:
from USA : 626-638-3383
from Mexico: 044-612-14-17863
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Nov. 21-Dec. 1, 2025
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN REPORT
WEATHER: Quite a temperature range. As high as low 80’s, but more likely the high 70’s but cooling down to the lower 60’s. Big issue were the northern winds we get this time of year. Blew pretty hard and the port of La Paz was closed a majority of the week to all boat traffic because of the rough waters outside that bay. That meant all fishing, snorkeling, scuba, whaleshark, as well as commercial activity was shut down or cancelled on that side. Even got some rain this past week as well.
WATER: Ocean conditions are predicated by the rest of the weather and with the northern winds becoming more prevalent, waters are cooling as reflected in the fish that were hooked when the winds calmed down enough to get out on the water. If the wind is blowing, it’s pretty rough!
SPECIES HOOKED THIS WEEK: Sierra, trevally, pompano, amberjack, bonito, jack crevalle, roosterfish, snapper, pargo, cabrilla, triggerfish, dorado
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
A good day for 3 generations of the Taylor men! Grandpa Jim, Trent and son Massi from San Diego.
Captain Jorge is getting ready to filet a nice batch of tasty sierra for John, Tyler and Justin that got taken to our Tailhunter Restaurant for dinner.
Oh the joy! Jim Taylor gives grandson Massi an assist with his roosterfish!
BAM! A roosterfish in winter? Photographic proof and a big smile from 13-year-old Massi with his grandpa Jim. The fish was released.
Nice variety of good eating fish for George Diwachak with Aiden and Andrew Coon. I see sierra, a dorado, cabrilla and several pargo/snapper!
Our amigo, Jimmy Williams went to the north end of Cerralvo with friends and did a banner day on sierra and palometa (trevally).
Proud dad, Trent with Massi’s bull dorado on the beach!
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Hope ya’ll had a great Thanksgiving!
As is typical this time of year, the northern winds were blowing, but this particular week, they really kicked in. So, for the majority of the week, the port captains shut down the port to all boat traffic for safety reasons.
Really tough luck for so many visitors in town for Thanksgiving week, but the closure meant all fishing, snorkeling, scuba, whaleshark and other boating activities had to be cancelled. Even commercial boat traffic was shut down.
Often, it’s difficult for visitor to understand because at times, the waters in the bay don’t look too bad. What they don’t understand is that outside the bay, it could (and was) incredibly rough and precarious.
Fortunately, we simply don’t put out many fishermen from November to April so we didn’t have to cancel any of our fishing trips. Additionally, we have our other fleet at Las Arenas and were able to get a few trips out. The area tends to be more sheltered from the northern winds and fishing spots can be found without having to go too far.
Judging by the catches, the winter water conditions have arrived with cooler ocean currents reflected in the nice catches of sierra, pargo, cabrilla, snapper and other cooler water species we tend to find during the winter months. However, there must still be some warm water patches as a few stray dorado were hooked in the channel and some roosterfish were still found along the beaches.
RESERVATIONS for 2026
After such a good season, lots of reservations are rolling in for 2026. Some dates are already filled or filling so don’t hesitate getting in touch so we can set you up to come visit. We’ll take care of fishing, lodging, transportation and other activities with a customized vacation package for you.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Nov. 5-20, 2025
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: Mostly sunny. Highs in the high 80’s to low 90’s. Winds from the north up to 15 knots or more some days. Nights are in the comfortable low to mid-60’s.
WATER: Still relatively warm with surface temps in the mid-70’s but cooling as the winds become more prevalent.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: yellowfin tuna, dorado, marlin, dog-tooth snapper, sierra, wahoo, bonito, cabrilla, jack crevalle, yellowtail, palometa
MEXICAN MINUTE VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
On the days when you can get out, there’s a surprising variety of both warm and cold water fish. Greg Wong was at Cerralvo Island and came back with alot of fish to clean! I see dorado, a tuna triggerfish, cabrilla, snapper and pompano!
It’s an amazing experience to be in the water with these gentle animals! Don’t worry, they have no teeth and are in the bay feeding on algae and plankton through the filter in their mouths.
These are “baby” whalesharks in La Paz Bay right now. Adults can reach 30-50′ long! But, they are in the shallow waters of the bay feeding right now.
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Well…it’s that lull before the holidays.
Fishing slows about mid-October as winter winds increase and the waters can get fairly rough and there aren’t many fishermen out. Most are locals or visiting anglers who can pick and choose the better days to be on the water when the winds aren’t blowing. That’s a big reason all the windsurfers are starting to descend on the area as well. Winter is wind time and La Paz can get some world-class winds.
However, when you are able to fish, the variety of fish is fairly surprising.
This late in the year, we’re still getting warm water species like some tuna, dorado, billfish and wahoo. Not many. Not like during the season, but surprising to still have these species around at all which indicates that the waters still hold warm patches. Not sure how long this will last as the coming winds will cool things off, but nice to enjoy for the time being.
Most of the fish, for us, have been around Cerralvo Island and in the channel between Bahia Muertos/ Punta Arenas and the island as well as the north and south points of the island.
In addition to lots of bonito, there are 10-30 pound yellowfin below the schools, if you can get through the pesky bonito. Some small schools of roving dorado in the 5-15 pound class can also be found in the warm waters.
Some wahoo have also been reported around the south point of the island as well as the occasional hook up with blue and black marlin, stripers and sailfish.
Inshore, we’re seeing more of the cooler water species like cabrilla, sierra, the smaller yellowtail. But there’s some fun 5-pound roosterfish still prowling th beaches and a hoot on light tackle and some beast dog-tooth snapper (cubera) in the shallow rocks that can be tempted with whole a chunk bonito.
Bigger news is the long-awaited whaleshark season has finally opened to swim with these gentle animals in La Paz Bay.
Normally, the season runs October to April, but the past few years the season has been very erratic. Sometimes open. Often closed. It all depends on several things.
If it’s rough and windy, as it often is during the winter months, it’s too rough to locate the animals in the shallow waters of the bay.
Secondly, it all depends on how many animals are around and how many folks are reserved with certified outfitters to swim with the animals. These are gentle, albeit wild animals. They’re not in a cage like elephants or monkeys in the zoo!
Sometimes there are 2 or 4 or 8 of them. Sometimes, there are zero! And they can hang out for an hour or 3. Or maybe disappear in 15 minutes. They’re not on a rigid schedule like the circus.
Therefore, it can be hit-or-miss if you book a trip, but exciting if you do get the opportunity to get in the water with them!
BAHIA MAGDALENA FISHING
That’s a table full of dog-tooth snapper after a day of fishing in the mangroves of Bahia Magdalena for Steve Messer, Eric Messer and Steve Fox.
Fishing a day outside the bay, Eric with his amigos nailed a box full of dorado as well as a nice wahoo.
Eric, Steve and Steve had a huge day fishing grouper in the mangroves.
Nice wahoo off the Thetis Bank outside of Mag Bay.
Gary Van Roekel, Russ Okimoto and Charles Masunaka with pargo and snook to take home. They released many more!
This is that time of year when we send anglers out to Bahia Magdalena (Mag Bay) on the Pacific side to fish in the remote mangroves as well as the offshore ridges and mounts. It’s about a 4 hour drive from La Paz if they fly into Cabo or La Paz or we are picking up anglers from Loreto.
Fishing in the mangroves is a pretty unique experience with light tackle and live bait. There can be over a dozen different species of fish in the roots, eddys, shoals and shallows. Our last few trips has produced some nice grouper, spotted bay bass, dog-tooth snapper, corvina, snook and cabrilla.
Offshore, if the winds permit, wahoo are biting on the Thetis Bank, but there’s also a shot at dorado, tuna, yellowtail, broomtail and leopard grouper and billfish.
Let us know if you’re interested!
That’s our story! Blessings for a safe and happy Thanksgiving!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Period of Oct. 22-Nov. 4, 2025
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: Mostly sunny and a really pleasant time to be in town. Highs in the upper 80’s to lower 90’s but not so much humidity and nights in the high 60’s. Winds from the north are getting stronger.
WATER: Air temps are cooler, but waters are still relatively warm although starting to cool down as the winds get stronger and more persistent as we head into winter. Cooler water fish species also starting to show up.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: tuna, dorado, bonito, marlin, sailfish, jack crevalle, pargo, dog-tooth snapper, sierra, cabrilla, triggerfish, needlefish.
FISHING ON A SCALE of 1-10 (10 is best): When the winds are blowing maybe a 2. If winds aren’t blowing, it’s a 5.
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY
Our long-time amigos from Texas, Rafael and Yvette Rios just had one day to get out to fish. With help from Rafa, Yvette caught this big sailfish. They also caught a tuna and a dorado. The sailfish was not able to be released and they donated most of the meat.
Our own Tailhunter’s Jorge Romero and everyone’s favorite guy, had a day off yesterday and the winds were down. He was out with Captain Pancho’s brother, Miguel Lucero, and this 280-pound blue marlin smacked his purple lure! Jorge also battled another blue estimated at 400-600 pounds that came unbuttoned! Jorge took a little meat home, but donated the bulk of the meat to the captains and their families!
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Honestly, the number of fishermen has tapered off quite a bit. During the season, we’re hosting 10-30 anglers a day. However, from mid-October through well…probably until next spring in April, very few folks will be fishing.
This is pretty typical as the seasons change and the fishing changes.
The northern winds have already started blowing and will only get stronger and more consistent the deeper we go towards and into winter. This results in rougher waters and a cooler ocean. Many days, it just doesn’t make sense to go out at all. It’s a pretty time to be in town as it’s usually sunny and temps are a pleasant 65-85 degrees. But, it’s not really a great time to be on the waters as the winds affect fishing, snorkeling, kayaking, scuba and other watersports.
About the only ones who really like and welcome the winds are the windsurfers and kite boarders who descend on the area to take advantage of the gusts.
Not every day is bad, but you can figure if there are storms up in the U.S., then it will have an effect in Baja as well. But that’s the key. If you plan to fix, be flexible and scout the forecasts so you can see which days will be calmer than others .
Since the last report, there hasn’t really been much to report. In addition to the increasing winds, this is that lull before the holidays and the holiday crowds and the arrival of the snowbirds. So, not much action on the water to report.
That being said, we have had a handful of anglers on the water who found some calm spots to get out.
Surprisingly, it’s November and there are still some great warm-water species in evidence. There have been hook-ups of blue and striped marlin as well as some lingering tuna and dorado. As the waters cool down, these species will move off and cooler water species will start to dominate.
We’re already getting some of them like sierra, snapper, pargo, cabrilla, rainbow runners and some yellowtail. Live bait might also get more difficult to obtain and wind-generated waves hit the shallow areas where the bait sellers catch the bait.
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BAHIA MAGDALENA REPORT
Great first day for Charlie Masunaka, Gary Van Roekel and Russ Okimoto! 3 nice wahoo offshore as well as a rack of dorado and a yellowfin tuna.
A toad wahoo for Russ Okimoto that scaled out at almost 69 pounds!
Fishing inshore among the mangroves when it got too windy on the outside, the guys racked up a stack of dog-tooth snapper!
One day offshore then 2 days inshore produced alot of meat like these snapper and even a few snook. After 3 days, they had so much fish, they donated the majority of their day 3 catch.
This is that time of year when we start fishing the area around Bahia Magdalena which is about a 3-4 hour drive from La Paz on the Pacific side. As you can see from the photos, it can be pretty prolific.
Fishing offshore on the nearby seamounts, can produce wahoo, marlin, tuna, dorado, yellowtail, grouper and more.
Inshore fishing among the thousands of acres of mangroves, shoals and shallows can produce several dozen species including snook, corvina, bay bass, pargo, snapper, giant seabass, halibut and more.
We can get you set up!
Just reach out: tailhunterfishinglapaz@gmail.com. Also, to get you set up for fishing with us in 2026, don’t wait. Many dates are filling up and we don’t want to miss you, especially if you have a favorite captain or hotel!
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for Week of Oct. 15-21, 2025
THE SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WEATHER: Maybe my favorite time of year. Daytime high 80’s and nighttime in the high 60’s. Just really great weather. Humidity is pretty much gone compared to even 2 weeks ago. Nice breeze most of the time. Like a postcard. The only problem is the north winds are starting to blow and will get stronger and stronger as we go forward. Nice to be on land, but not necessarily a good time to be on the water.
WATERS: Still pretty warm, but cooling down as indicated by some of the cooler water species we have started to catch. Can get bumpy and rough in the afternoons now that the northern winds have started. As the waters cool, the fishing will change.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK:. tuna, yellowtail, dorado, sailfish, striped marlin, wahoo, black marlin, sierra, pargo, snapper, dog-tooth (cubera) snapper, roosterfish, cabrilla, triggerfish, trevally.
FISHING ON A SCALE of 1-10 (10 is best): Was a 3 earlier, but by later in the week was up to a 7.
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
A good day! Our long-time amigos from Atlanta GA, Leif Dover and Brian O’Neil said they hit a spot and the tuna were boiling all around the boat just south of Bahia Muertos!
Andrew Bowman was with Matt van Sickle and Captain Joel when he hooked this late-season sailfish on light tackle and live bait. His first and he donated most of the meat.
Mike Jacobson was fishing down 400 feet off Cerralvo Island trying to find elusive tuna and to get away from all the bonito when he hit this nice yellowtail. Crazy to catch one in October as these are usually cooler water fish that we see in the springtime!
Kayla Lespade from the Central Valley of CA has fished with us before and brought down Josh Thomas who had never fished on the ocean, but got his first taste of salt-water fishing with limits of tuna and a dorado plus lots of bonito!
I call this “Pargo Envy!” Brian O’Neil has a big dog-tooth (cubera snapper) while buddy Leif Dover has a little snapper! In all fairness, over 2 days, they lost several of these big dog-tooth while using whole bonito heads for bait.
Kevin Shiotani is a pretty prolific angler and always does well. He had 60 pound test on just outside of Bahia Muertos when this 300 pound black marlin grabbed the bait!
Double-fisted dorado for Matt!
Two of our favorite people, Rusty and Carolyn Cain with their favorite Captain at Las Arenas, Armando. They came back so early back to the beach ,I thought they had a bad day . Rusty says, “No, it was a great day and we had fun and decided to just come back early!”
Andrew with one of his yellowfin tuna!
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Whenever we have storms, you just never know what the fishing will be like afterwards. You don’t know when or if the water and fish will come back. During that one week when we had storms Octave, Priscilla and Raymond, we were either in lockdown or the fishing was about as bad as could be.
Well, it did take a few days for things to clear up. Fishing was pretty picky. A few fish here. A few fish there. Nothing to shout about. Bonito and needlefish were being pests.
A few little dorado around and we were even doing the unheard of thing and fishing deep like 200-400′ down just to get away from bonito an needlefish. Found a few tuna way down and even a weird yellowtail which we don’t see until March or April in cooler waters which confirms for me that the deep water is indeed much cooler than the surface temps which are right about 78-80 degrees right now.
However, with each progressive day, fishing got a little better and a little better. More tuna started to break again. Fun-sized footballs and some larger around Cerralvo Island and south of Bahia Muertos. More dorado schools popping up and willing to chew and even a few wahoo bites (none in the boat).
Nothing big or spectacular, but some really fun fall fishing.
Also, some marlin and sailfish as well as some smaller roosterfish, cabrilla, snapper and some really big dog-tooth (cubera) snapper ripping rods while using whole bonito as bait. Really a fight trying to get these ferocious 40-70 pound beasts outta the rocks. Losing alot more than are getting to the gaff.
Overall, the fishing season is in transition. The seasonal northern winds have started to blow and they will get more consistent and stronger now as we head towards winter. Waters are getting cooler and rougher, especially in the afternoons, but we will soon be hitting days when it will be impossible to fish so not many fishermen in the coming months. The windsurfers will start showing up because we have world-class winds during the winter.
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of Oct 7-14, 2025
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN FISHING REPORT
WATER: The sea was pretty agitated as the storms passed through us last week (we had 3 storms), but not alot of rain runoff so the waters cleared pretty quickly. Still staying warm with surface temps in the lower 80’s but you can tell the season is changing as waters are starting to cool down.
WEATHER: Ridiculous week. We had 3 storms in a row head toward us and not quite hit us but cause enough calamity that we couldn’t go fishing and the port was closed. We had Octave then Priscilla then Raymond. Only Raymond really dropped rain on us, but the other storms hit other areas pretty hard. Temps are cooling now. Daytime temps are now down to the 80’s and humidity has dropped as well.
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK:. Really ugly week of fishing because of weather, but when fish bit, we hooked tuna, dorado, marlin, roosterfish, dog-tooth snapper, bonito, jack crevalle, sierra, triggerfish and too many needlefish.
FISHING ON A SCALE of 1-10 (10 is best): 2-3 (at best!)
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO FISHING REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY….
Long-time Tailhunter amigos, Bob Layko and Craig Brown with their favorite captain Armando . Because of the weather only got to fish one day unfortunately.
Mary Soucie definitely gets a shaka thumb for her wahoo caught while staying in Bahia Muertos at Rancho Costa.
First-timers from Easter Oregon Gary Bracelin and his son, Trey had some nice days on the water before the weather turned including this good day of tuna.
Ben Chapman and Tricia Kidman finally hit the honey hole of tuna on their 3rd day. Tricia has fished with us before, but it was Ben’s first time.
Jen Ferguson from Colorado at Rancho Costa has every reason to smile over this trophy wahoo! Alot of great meat!
Two sweet sisters! Rio Jensen and Bryn Bailey on their first time visiting us really caught the “fishing bug” after fishing with us for a few days! They are from the Salt Lake City area.
Mike and Mary from Colorado have double hands of dorado. Thanks Gary Wagner for the photo!
After many years, I finally got Rob Magargal down here to fish with us. First day produced a nice rack of tuna and tasty blue bonito before the storms hit and things got tough. Rob kept smiling the whole time.
Gary Wagner (3rd from right) with some of his guests at Rancho Costa in Bahia Muertos and a nice fish pose!
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No sugar-coating it. This was a rough tough week. Maybe the toughest and worst fishing week of the season. Tough way for the season to taper off as the northern winds are starting to blow and things are cooling off now.
It was like getting gut-punched by Mother Nature.
Things were going alot pretty well. Tuna were biting around Bahia Muertos and Cerralvo Island. A few wahoo were popping up. Dorado were there to be caught as well as hooking a few billfish. Everyone having fun. Lots of smiles.
Then, as is often happens…a storm develops out’ve nowhere. And it’s headed for Baja.
“Priscilla” started small, but soon developed into a hurricane.
The good part is that it started for La Paz, but then veered off and took a path up the Pacific Coast of Baja. Other areas got whacked pretty badly. We escaped the major part of the storm, but the bad part is the arms of the storm still reached us.
We didn’t get rain, but it was enough to agitate the ocean and send out the precaution flags as bg winds and waves pummeled the areas outside the bay. The port was shut down. There was no way to launch boats from the beaches.
(Turn up the volume and you can hear the wind and waves)
The big issue was that Priscilla barely moved. It stuck around on the outside just creeping along. So, it affected our area for days. No one could go out. No one could go fishing. Lots of our guests were stuck twiddling thumbs and doing their best to be patient.
Then, while Priscilla took her sweet time leaving, it was joined by Storm Octave that was headed out to sea, but decided to team up with Priscilla.
So, we were shut down for several days. No rain, but again, with the port shut down and beaches in a mess, no one could get out.
Then, the full moon popped up just as those two storms moved up and away north. We got folks out fishing again. Many of them, this was their only day of the week.
…and it was terrible fishing. Pretty much not even worth it to go out. The waters were still agitated and only a handful of fish hooked if that. Maybe the worst fishing day of the season.
TROPICAL STORM RAYMOND RIGHT OVER LA PAZ
Then, Raymond came up and went right overhead dropping rain and bringing winds and shutting down the port again!
So, pretty much over the last 7 or 8 days, the port was shut down 5 days and the other two days were total picky scratchy junk fishing days!
In 30 years, I’ve never had 3 weather events line up like that plus the bonus atmospheric event…big FULL MOON!
Major props to our guests who hung in there all week with patience and smiles. For some of them, they never got to fish. For others that got out, the fishing was a struggle. But, not a single one gave any grief and made the best of it and it was much appreciated. I wish I had control over the weather.
The forecast is finally showing that we have clear sunny days ahead and my captains tell me the waters look good, but as we finally got a few boats out, the fishing remained scratchy at best with winds starting to blow stronger from the north in the afternoons.
I think to be honest, the warm-water fishing season is pretty much done. We’ll keep you posted.
FISHING IN 2026
We have quite a few bookings coming in for 2026 already and some dates are filling up! A few are sold out already. May to October is prime time. We have some special discounts we are offering if you book before the end of the year. If you have a favorite captain or hotel, don’t wait! Let’s get you set up! You can e-mail me directly: tailhunterfishinglapaz@gmail.com
La Paz – Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Bahia Suenos Fishing Report for Week of Sept. 27-Oct. 6, 2025
LAST MINUTE UPDATE HURRICANE
Just as I was publishing this, the weather has taken a turn. What was supposed to be “scattered showers and thunderstorms, has turned into Hurricane Priscilla. Very late in the season to have something like this.
It’s not going to hit us directly, but it could still be problematic. It might combine with Tropical Storm Octave which was headed out to the Pacific, but now has done a complete right turn back towards Baja and may combine with Priscilla for a double whammy storm that I have never seen before in 30 years.
Rain was not supposed to hit us for several days although big waves and winds have already started, but just this morning, rain has started falling. The government has closed the port and we have had to cancel all water-related activities unfortunately. Don’t know how long this will last. Will keep you posted!
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN REPORT
WEATHER: Seemed like things are getting cooler and the season was changing. Then it got a bit warmer again. Mostly pretty nice. Hot and muggy again. Some scattered rain later in the week (see update above)
WATER: Pretty water. Very very warm. Surface temps in the mid-to-upper 80’s
FISH HOOKED THIS WEEK: Yellowfin tuna, wahoo dorado, marlin, sierra, jack crevalle, bonito, amberjack, roostefish, pargo, cabrilla, blue bonito, pompano.
FISHING on a SCALE of 1-10 (10 is best) : 5-7
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
John Gibbs and Angelo Oliverio have been our Tailhunter amigos forever and always good to have them here and they enjoy fishing with Captain Armando. Nice batch of tuna to start the trip!
Captain Jorge gives Richard Stasse a thumbs-up with one of the larger model yellowfin this week.
New Reno friends for us! Scott and Thaelyn Van Patten had a nice day on the water with a good batch of yellowfin tuna to put in the freezers to bring home!
Gene Jancek just had one day to squeeze in for fishing and wanted to be sure I could get him into to the report! Nicely done, Gene! He was with Captain Armando.
A fun trio from San Diego that were here for an 80 person birthday bash for fellow members of the Elks Club. Jonathan and dad Tim Backlund up front and funny Joe Herkelroad holding up the back! Some good-sized yellowfin plus blue bonito to take home.
First timers with us this week, Kyle Woo and his dad hold up some of their dorado after a day fishing out’ve La Paz towards Espirito Santo Island. They fished 4 days and did pretty well! Kyle just graduated from the University of Hawaii.
They just wanted to get dad (Luis Sanchez…3rd from the right) a marlin! They did but also lost several and released several. They donated the meat and also got several tuna and dorado while here during the week. They were with Captain Chito when they chased the marlin. Fun guys from northern California near Lake Shasta. First time visitors with Tailhunter. Left to right, Mark Sanchez, Mike Sanchez, Luis Sanchez (dad) and Luis Jr.
All the way from New York, Valari and Gary Biccum were also first-time visitors and she poses here with one of her dorado while fishing with Captain Boli on the beach behind La Concha Hotel.
Funny shot…Captain Licho poses with Wes, Tony and Leon after one of their two days fishing with him out’ve La Paz. Always good to see these guys in town!
Marty Matsuda and Clay Harada pose on the beach at Bahia Muertos with 5 nice tuna and a big triggerfish!
Mike and Pam Ryan found a dorado hole while fishing out’ve Las Arenas and added a nice barred pargo to the rack as well!
When Gary Biccum told me he was going to catch a wahoo, I grinned and rolled my eyes. Guys come for years and never get one. Guess what…Nice catch Gary!!!
Captain Jorge with a really sweet couple from S. Carolina, Sheron and John Cosh who just happened to be celebrating his birthday. Really enjoyed their company this week.
Vahe Simonian with a nice tuna and a really big wahoo! He never said much after coming back from fishing…then I see the photo!
Randy Mayne and Nick Healy came to visit us from Salt Lake City for the first time. They had an eventful week! Started out with a good jag of yellowfin tuna at Muertos!
Some of our Tailhunter besties! Wiley Randolph and Eric Pennington have been Tailhunter nation amigos for years. Cheers to a da of tuna, dorado and big triggerfish, amigos!
Nick Healy came back from fishing with a long face. He said, “I only got two bites all day and only got two fish!” I didn’t know what to say until I saw the photos and then he broke into a big grin! Nice day! He was pulling my leg.
Here is the catch-of-the-week! My fish brothers, Kenny Cambell and Buddy Malone were with Captain Pancho. Check out the catch…TWO wahoo…a huge dog-tooth snapper…several tuna…a blue bonito…and a dorado! Spectacular day!
Pam and Mike again! Another good day of fishing!
MIke Kouyoumdjian and buddy, Raffi Ohanian pose with a trio of dorado and really fat yellowfin tuna.
Nice to have first-time visitors, Garrett Matsukiyo and dad, Irving fishing with us for the week. After 4 days of fishing, they want home with a nice load of fillets. Here on the beach with 2 of 6 dorado.
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Overall, it has been a pretty good week. Everyone caught fish. Everyone lost some nice fish too and had shots at some real trophies. Others actually caught trophy fish! Lots of smiles.
Some days were better than others. Some boats did better than others. But most of our guests fish several days so if one day was off, the next day made up for it.
It was fall fishing as nice as it gets mostly.
The tuna are still around Bahia Muertos and Cerralvo Island in the best tuna bite I have seen in several years. Mostly fun-sized 5-15 pound fish with some larger 30 pounders thrown in. Plus some surprise wahoo also caught. Some on iron. Some on bait. Some on the troll.
Sprinkle in some dorado between 5-15 pounds that are pretty much all over and it makes for some fun days on the water.
Also had some billfish on the line as well. Stripers up to about 120 pound were hooked or released and some larger blue marlin were hooked and lost with estimated weights up to about 300 pounds!
Overall, I would say that the seasons are changing. There is a cooling trend happening with air temps with less humidity and heat. That doesn’t mean it’s cool. It’s just not quite as hot, but the northern winds are already starting to blow and we’re catching occasional species like sierra, pompano and trevally which are all cooler water fish we usually see in the springtime.
Once the northerns blow consistently, the complexion of fishing will change and waters will get rougher and colder and for the most part shut down the season.
In the meantime, pretty enjoyable fishing right now!
(P.S. See my update above about Hurricane Priscilla)
La Paz/ Las Arenas/ Muertos Bay/ Suenos Bay Fishing Report for the Week of Sept. 19-26, 2025
SHORT ATTENTION SPAN REPORT
WEATHER: It was really good until it wasn’t. Hot humid and crazy muggy weather. Very very tropical. Temps from 95-107 with the humidity, but great fishing weather if you discount the occasional thunderstorm or rain shower that come and go. Sometimes short and violent then the sun comes out again!
WATER: Fortunately, the runoff from the rain hasn’t been extensive because it doesn’t rain for a long time even though alot of rain comes down. So, the water isn’t as turned over or as dirty as might be expected. However, the water is an incredible 88-91 degrees on the surface! I can’t even get my shower water that warm!
SPECIES HOOKED THIS WEEK: Dorado, tuna, (1) blue marlin lost, (1) sailfish lost, (1 striped marlin (lost), wahoo, rainbow runner, jack crevalle, bonito, roosterfish, triggerfish, pompano, cabrilla, pargo
FISHING ON A SCALE of 1-10 (10 is best): 6-8 (best of the year)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Bring a small bit of repellent (flies and mosquito hatch from the rain) and also some electrolyte packets (very hot and muggy…lots of folks affected by the heat by not staying hydrated!)
MEXICAN MINUTE LA PAZ VIDEO REPORT
THE BIG PICTURE and the REST of the STORY…
This time of year, a sunny day can turn into a deluge without much notice flooding everything. Then the sun comes back out again. On this particular day, 4 inches of rain fell in on hour.
Paul Nagata has been coming to visit us for years and it’s always great to see him. Plus, he always does great! This year, he brought first timer, Brian Carlomagno who just seemed to be having the time of his life every day!
Brandon and his dad, Bill Champion, had some solid days of fishing and big smiles to go with it. First time visiting us and fishing with Tailhunters.
Captain Alfredo it probably trying to keep this wiggly dorado from smacking Gwyn in the face for the photo. Over 3 days she had some banner fishing!
Our Oregon amigos, Les Bek and son, Kevin, love fishing with Captain Gerardo and probably had the best 3 day fishing trip in all their years with us. On the table with tuna, dorado and even a triggerfish.
Craig Wong put the wood to this maybe 100+ pound yellowfin at the north end of Cerralvo Island. Folks don’t understand just how powerful a fish this size can be, but Craig is a seasoned angler.
Great fun to have Jim Tully with us this week. Nice batch of fun footballs to clean and take home!
George Histatomi and Kevin Lee said they enjoyed fishing 2 days with Captain Armando and also enjoyed his singing on the boat.
Paul was in the middle of the tuna bite and decided on a lark to tie on a big chrome 6x jig. He dropped it and took two cranks and WHAM! Wahoo! You can see the jig still hanging. Captain Pancho is pretty happy too! Have not seen wahoo in about 2 months!
Marty Matsuda and Clay Harada were fishing together and hung a few fish their first day!
Kurt Schmidt and Al Salgado pose with their batch of yellowfin and dorado after their first day on the water. They are both from the San Diego area. Kurt won the trip at an auction we donated to for breast cancer.
Ken Miura and Jim Tully came down to see us with a group of 12 and added these fish to the daily take of the group!
Our Texas amigo, Keith Marshall, sure had fun with Captain Pancho and trying out his new light tackle rod and reel! Nice rack of dorado to take home!
Nice haul with Captain Moncho! Britt Messman Jr and Sr. not only got some of the larger yellowfin this day, but Britt Jr. also nailed a dorado and roosterfish on the flyrod!
Always good to have Frannie and Bob Handegard visit us. They have been fishing with us for many many years and manage to come down every few and also take home a nice batch of fillets to Oregon.
Donna and Ken Papa are also long-time visitors and part of our Tailhunter tribe going way way back…especially Donna! Tuna and dorado need to get into the freezers!
Captain Gerardo with Jiin Sheu and Ron Ronas who pose with their catch on the beach at Bahia Muertos.
Two or our amigos who just have too much fun whenever they are down here. John and Gwyn Bailey started off with a super day with Captain Gerardo. They kinda slowed down their fishing after this! LOL
Nothing like that first yellowfin tuna! Brian is pretty happy!
Captain Gerardo is a big fella and he makes sure to get into the photo between Les and Kevin!
Thumbs-up from Brandon Champion. First day catch with his dad, Bill
We usually see these rainbow runners in cooler water in the spring. Big surprise to catch one when the surface temps are in the high 80’s! But his cousin to the yellowtail got caught by Brian Carlomagno among a number of other species he knocked off his bucket list this past week.
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Another one of those tropical thunderstorms hit us mid-week and put a damper on things and we actually had to cancel boats and bring everyone back to town. What started as a windstorm and shower turned into a Noah’s Ark event. We got about 4 inches of rain in an hour that flooded arroyos and streets up to the car windows:
Fortunately, it was only for about an hour or so then in typical fashion, it stopped and everthing drained. We cleaned up and the next day were thankfully able to get folks back out on the water.
However BEFORE that storm…
We may have had some of the best fishing of the year and surely the best tuna fishing that I’ve seen in maybe 10 years or so down here!
At Bahia Muertos with our Tailhunter Las Arenas fleet, the tuna came back in force and were crushing it. Lots of fun football-sized yellowfin, plus some 10-30 pounders mixed in. At Cerralvo Island, more tuna to be found at the south end of the point and at the north end bigger model 100+ pound fish were hitting. Dorado mixed in as well.
Many of these fish were within 100-200 yards of the beach in shallow water.
One day alone, I think our boats took in more than 1000 pounds of fish as we spent almost 4 hours in our packing room processing over 300 pounds of fillets! We’ve also been cooking up alot of fish at our Tailhunter Restaurant plus with the tuna making alot of sahime and poke!
Along with the tuna, there’s dorado mixed in, but for our Tailhunter La Paz Fleet, the bite is probably 90% all dorado. Lots of little punk fish under 12″ in size that we’re releasing but some better 10-15 pound fish are keepers with the occasional 20-pounder in the mix.
Other than the tuna and dorado, there’s some smaller roosterfish around. And some sierra and rainbow runners are showing up in the counts which means that cooler water is starting to come around as the season will start transitioning. Normally, sierra and rainbow runners (cousin to yellowtail) are found in our winter and spring months.
We did have a handful of billfish hooked and lost caught collaterally while fishing for the other species.
Hopefully, by the time you’re reading this, we’ll be back up to full speed like before the storms. The forecast calls for very little precipitation in the forecast for the first time in about 3 weeks!
If you are coming down, bring a little bug repellent. With all the sporadic rainfall, the hatch of flies, mosquitoes and other flying critters can be problematic.
Also, the humidity is really oppressive with the heat. Stay hydrated. It would not hurt to bring some of those little packets of powdered electrolytes that you can put in a bottle of water and chug down when things get really warm.
BOOKINGS FOR 2026
We’re getting a steady stream daily of folks already booking for next season. Many of our guests are leaving their La Paz and immediately giving me dates for next year. Especially if they like a certain hotel or have a favorite captain, they don’t want to miss out. Some weeks and dates are already filled or filling up. Don’t miss out. We’re offering our current 2025 rates if you book before the end of this year for 2026. Reach out to me directly and I’ll get you set up with a customized trip: tailhunterfishinglapaz@gmail.com
PEDREGAL EXECUTIVE RESIDENCE
Massive living room and gourmet kitchen can be completely opened to the sea breeze and pool area
Terrace pool has a 20′ deep plunge at the far end. It is the only heated and cooled pool in La Paz
Spectacular views of La Paz Bay from the hill.
View of the pool area, fire pit and barbecue area and bay view from one of several upstairs terraces.
Each bedroom has it’s own en suite bathroom
One of the king bedrooms. Note all the original artwork. The walls throughout the residence are full of spectacular original art and museum pieces.
View from the 12 person jacuzzi.
Gourmet entertainment kitchen
Fully equipped gym with weights and multi-function weight machine.
In addition to the hotels we normally offer for your lodging here in La Paz with our fishing vacation packages we’re incredibly excited to have added the PEDREGAL EXECUTIVE RESIDENCE to our offerings. This is over 6,000 sq. feet of the best-of-the-best award-winning architectural vacation spot waiting for you.
It is perfect for 6-10 guests. Families are welcome. Great for several couples or an executive group or bachelor(ette) party. Bring the kids!
Spectacular views and amenities and we can even provide you with chef services to prepare your meals as well as a new Chevy Suburban to drive. It has a jacuzzi for 12 and a pool that drops off to 6 meters (20′ deep). A full gym as well!
Tailhunter Fish Report 