bahía magdalena — puerto adolfo lópez mateos
Coastal lagoon on the Pacific side of Baja California Sur, closed off by sand islands. Snook and croakers in the mangroves, striped marlin in autumn.
Magdalena Bay is a coastal lagoon of about 50 km on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, sheltered from the ocean by the Magdalena and Santa María barrier islands. Puerto Adolfo López Mateos sits at the north end of the complex, in a mangrove channel a few minutes from the Pacific mouth. Inside the bay, fishing is casting and fly in the channels and mangrove roots: Pacific white snook (róbalo, Centropomus viridis), croakers (genus Cynoscion), snappers and cabrillas (groupers). Outside the mouth, in open Pacific water, striped marlin is the autumn draw, and mahi-mahi, yellowfin tuna and wahoo show up with warm water. In winter, gray whales enter the bay to mate and calve.
best season
Striped marlin peak in autumn and early winter, when the Mag Bay Mania catch-and-release tournament takes place (November). Mahi-mahi, tuna and wahoo show up with warm water.
Local rules: Conapesca sport and recreational fishing permit for anyone fishing from a boat, and NOM-017 limits (1 billfish and a limit of 2 for mahi-mahi and roosterfish per day, within 10 fish total). The land part of the barrier islands (Magdalena, Santa María, Santo Domingo, Creciente and smaller ones) is a core zone of the Reserva de la Biósfera Islas del Pacífico de la Península de Baja California (DOF decree of Dec 7, 2016, Conanp), where fishing and extraction are prohibited. To the north, in the Gulf of Ulloa, the fishing refuge zone under the DOF Agreement of Jun 23, 2023 (5 years) bans diving and spearfishing in sport fishing. Check local rules.
- getting there
- By road, 63 km from Ciudad Constitución; Puerto San Carlos, the bay's other port, is 28 km away. The airports of Loreto and La Paz are the gateways with commercial flights.
- facilities
- Simple inns, local operators with pangas for the bay and boats for the Pacific, cooperatives that take visitors to see whales in winter, and an airstrip for charter planes.
- country
- Baja California Sur, Mexico
tip
In the mangrove channels, work the ebb with lures that imitate sardines close to the roots. In winter, go slow: gray whales and their calves fill the bay.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
before you fish in Mexico
Anyone fishing from a boat needs an individual recreational-sport fishing permit (permiso de pesca deportivo-recreativa), issued by Conapesca and obtained online through the e5cinco system, with fees paid per day, week, month, year or excursion. 2025 values reported by Conapesca: 1 day, MXN 204; 1 week, MXN 510; 1 month, MXN 766; 1 year, MXN 1,021; excursion, MXN 1,453 (adjusted every year). Fishing from land does not require a permit; spearfishing requires an individual permit (NOM-017-PESC-1994, amended in 2013).
- Marlin, sailfish, swordfish, sábalo/chiro, roosterfish and mahi-mahi (dorado de mar) are reserved for sport fishing within 50 nautical miles of the coastal baseline.
- Sea catch limit: up to 10 fish per angler per day, with a maximum of 5 of the same species. Billfish (marlins, sailfish and swordfish), sharks and giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas): 1 per day. Sábalo, mahi-mahi, roosterfish and baya: 2 per day. In freshwater, 5 per day. Fish caught beyond the limit are released alive back to the sea.
- Fishing within 250 m of beaches with bathers and of commercial fishing boats or nets is prohibited. Sport-caught fish may not be sold, and billfish may not be filleted on board.
- In natural protected areas, sport fishing is only allowed under the terms of the decree and each area's management program (Conanp); many have closed zones and stretches for catch and release only.
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official DOF — Decreto que declara la reserva de la biosfera Islas del Pacífico de la Península de Baja California (07/12/2016)Bahía Magdalena archipelago boundary: land core zones on Magdalena, Santa María, Santo Domingo, Creciente, Pájaros, Pauquino and San Gil islands; Article Six prohibits fishing in core zones
- official DOF — Acuerdo que establece la zona de refugio pesquero y medidas para reducir la interacción de la pesca con tortugas marinas en la Costa Occidental de Baja California Sur (23/06/2023)Gulf of Ulloa; in sport and recreational fishing, diving and spearfishing are prohibited, with NOM-017 limits; 5-year term
- market Mag Bay Outfitters — Puerto Adolfo López MateosSnook, snapper, grouper and croaker in the bay; marlin, mahi-mahi, tuna and wahoo in the Pacific; access via Loreto and an airstrip for charters
- market Bisbee's — Mag Bay Mania 2026Virtual billfish release tournament, Nov 1 to 30, 2026, within a 50-mile radius of Bahía Magdalena