East Cape Fishing Reports and Sportfishing Vacation Information

East Cape fishing articles, maps, fishing reports, peak seasons, hot spots, and
vacation travel information for the top sportfishing locations of East Cape, Mexico.

The "East Cape" sportfishing area of southern Baja California, Mexico, is solid gold water for the large or small boat angler who wants to catch really big fish. The relatively calm seas and very close proximity of glamour fish to shore here make East Cape a very special place where dreams can come true. This is where legends are made, and it is here that many "tin boat" anglers catch that "fish of a lifetime."

Although its northernmost waters are usually accessed by sportfishing boats coming south out of La Paz, from a fishing point of view "East Cape" might be defined as the area between Canal de Cerralvo in the north, to the deep trench that touches the shore at Punta los Frailes in the south. This is the last section of "pure" Sea of Cortez, for south of Los Frailes, the fishing waters begin to show more properties of the open Pacific Ocean, such as surf and swell.

Some well-known East Cape fishing areas visited by the area's multitude of charter cruisers, pangas, and private boats include: El Sargento, Bahia de la Ventana, Isla Cerralvo, Canal de Cerralvo, the "88 bank," Roca Montana, Punta Arena de la Ventana, Punta Perico, Ensenada de los Muertos, El Cardonal, Cerro Verde, Punta Pescadero, "The Pyramids" or "The Slide," Los Barriles, Buena Vista, La Ribera, Punta Arena, Punta Colorada, Cabo Pulmo, Los Frailes, Las Barracas, Las Destiladeras, and sometimes as far south as the Gordo Banks of San Jose del Cabo.

When we fish our way southwards towards the Punta Arena lighthouse and talk about the East Cape's most southerly 15 miles, including the Cabo Pulmo coral reefs outside the marine park boundaires and Punta Los Frailes, we are covering probably the cream of the fishing of Mexico's Sea of Cortez.

Middleweight game fish hug these East Cape inshore waters, while striped marlin, blue marlin, black marlin, sailfish, dorado and tuna prowl the deeper offshore waters. At this special sportfishing location, the deep blue waters meet the inshore waters only two to four miles out! Multitudes of big grouper and sea basses dwell in the labyrinth of caves and crevasses of the reefs.

This stretch of the Sea of Cortez, starting at Punta los Frailes in the south and going north 15 miles to Punta Arena, has the finest combination of big game fish, small game fish, and diving in the Cortez--probably one of the best in the world. This is due to the area’s unique location and its underwater topography.

(The area close to Punta los Frailes and over the coral reefs of Cabo Pulmo is a national marine reserve. Within this bay are the only coral reefs along the western shore of North America. Fishing, spearing, or the removal of sea life is prohibited here. It is recommended that you check with local authorities for current rules, boundaries and enforcement.)

Although famous Cabo San Lucas is traditionally thought of as the dividing line between the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez, for sportfishing purposes the Cortez really starts at the underwater canyon that reaches the beach along the south end of Punta Los Frailes, 50 miles northeast of Cabo San Lucas.