Land that fish of a lifetime with our experienced crew.
$975, always guided.
Baja is one of the very few places you can specifically target Marlin or other billfish and almost guarantee success.
Generally speaking, if you can dedicate 2-3 days then we would ‘expect’ you to land a billfish, if you can capitalise on the opportunities presented. Often capable divers can close the deal within the first day.
Baja is home to blue, black and striped marlin. Their numbers are so great that one of the world’s largest Marlin sportfishing competitions is held right here in Los Barrilles. The event, called the Bisbee, boasts prize money of well over 1 million dollars.
The only way to specifically target Marlin all year round is to trawl teasers from the dive boat, creating a commotion on the surface. Teasers to Marlin are what balls of string are to cats – they just can’t resist them.
This is the only technique that consistently brings them up from the deep. We can chum around hotspots but that’s just potluck and if you only have a limited number of days to get the job done then trawling is the only way.
The technique involves enticing them up from deep while being fully kitted and ready to jump in at moments notice. You wait patiently at the back of the boat staring out at the boat wake with a mix of excitement and nervousness in the gut of your stomach.
The captain spots a shadow chasing the teasers, gives the shout then all hell breaks loose. “LEFT!” or “RIGHT!” booms down giving you an idea of which side to focus on, then you dive off the back of the moving boat and make your play!
You must dive below the white water immediately to be able to see through the prop wash and start counting the seconds. The teasers are trailing about 8-10 seconds behind the boat so you know roughly when you should make contact and can prepare yourself for what you’re about see. You’ll have no idea how big it is, if it has moved sides or if it’s a Marlin at all. While we’d expect it to be a bill fish, it will occasionally be a shark of some format.
You’ll only have a split moment to assess the situation and make something work. When you dive off the boat, the crew will throw in some flashers to keep the fish distracted and entertained. At the same time we’ll loop back around with the teasers to maximise your chances.
Often shooting the fish is the easiest part – the fight that follows is physically demanding and not for the newly indoctrinated. There will be a guide on hand to watch your back in the water and help you battle the fish should you need it.
Before the event, we’ll talk about the equipment required and the type of progressive float system we recommend to maximise your chances of landing your fish of a lifetime.
Sustainability:
None of the billfish in the Sea of Cortez are threatened or under pressure. The ferocious feeding Blue Marlin are particularly fast growing, hitting 1000lbs in just 20 years.
While Marlin are not under threat, we limit one per person, per trip. So when you land your billfish, we keep diving but target something new.
This really is a unique opportunity to land one of the most sought-after fish in every spearo’s career. It’s one of the very few places on earth you can do it consistently. So if you want to tick off this fish of a lifetime, get in touch and we’ll start making plans!
Note that for this adventure we need to use a Sports Cruiser with a tower as spotting the trailing shadows is a challenge upon itself. While this adds an level of luxury, it is reflected in the price.
