loreto — bahía de loreto national park
Mission town on the Gulf of California, inside a marine national park with five islands. Yellowtail at the points, mahi-mahi in summer.
Loreto sits on the Gulf of California in Baja California Sur, facing the Coronados, Carmen, Danzante, Montserrat and Santa Catalina islands, which together with the sea around them form Bahía de Loreto National Park. The shelf is narrow and cut by deep submarine canyons, which bring pelagic fish close to shore. In late winter and spring, yellowtail (Seriola dorsalis) hunt the points and shoals around the islands and are caught on jigs and live bait. In summer, mahi-mahi is the main target on trolling, with sailfish, marlin, yellowfin tuna and wahoo farther offshore. On the rocks, snappers, cabrillas (Mycteroperca rosacea) and sierra complete the catch, and roosterfish show up on the beaches. Pangas leave from the malecón's dock basin.
best season
Yellowtail is strongest in late winter and spring. From summer to early autumn, with warm water, mahi-mahi and billfish take over.
Local rules: The sea off Loreto and the five islands make up Bahía de Loreto National Park (DOF decree of Jul 19, 1996; summary of the management program in the DOF of Apr 23, 2019, Conanp). Sport fishing is allowed only with line and hook (piola y anzuelo) and follows NOM-017 (rule 52); in the 15 polygons of the marine and mangrove preservation subzone, no fishing. Visitors pay the protected-area use fee (wristband), and jet skis are prohibited. Conapesca permit for anyone fishing from a boat. Check local rules.
- getting there
- Loreto International Airport, with domestic flights and flights to the United States. By road, Federal Highway 1 links Loreto to La Paz to the south and Santa Rosalía to the north.
- facilities
- Fishing operators with large pangas at the malecón dock basin, hotels and inns in the historic center. Trips usually include the park access wristband.
- country
- Baja California Sur, Mexico
tip
For yellowtail, drop jigs near the island points when the current picks up. In summer, look for mahi-mahi under sargassum and drifting debris.
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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 — Acuerdo por el que se da a conocer el resumen del Programa de Manejo del Parque Nacional Bahía de Loreto (23/04/2019)Decree of Jul 19, 1996; rule 52 (sport fishing only with piola y anzuelo and under NOM-017); marine and mangrove preservation subzone with no fishing; rule 7 (fees under the Federal Rights Law); rule 39 (no jet skis)
- market Arturo's Sport Fishing & Tours — Pesca deportiva em LoretoDepartures from the malecón dock basin; park access wristbands included; blue marlin, mahi-mahi, tuna, cabrilla, yellowtail, wahoo and roosterfish
- scientific FishBase — Seriola lalandi (nota taxonômica sobre Seriola dorsalis)Yellowtail from California, the Baja Pacific and the Gulf of California is treated as Seriola dorsalis; S. lalandi is restricted to the Southern Hemisphere (Martinez-Takeshita et al., 2015). The park's management program still uses the name S. lalandi