Fly Fishing for Roosterfish
When we were looking for the right spot to start my passion project, a professionally guided fly fishing lodge, I got an interesting invitation from Juan Lucero, a fly fishing guide from Baja California Mexico. He told me I just had to come down and go out with him for Roosterfish in Ensenada de los Muertos. He built up the experience so much that I finally challenged him to prove it. So, he did.
Picture after picture after picture, followed by video clips of flyfishers having the time of their lives hauling in these gorgeous, monstrous exotic fish, and I knew he was right. As an avid fly fisher, I knew that Baja California Sur had to be next on my bucket list of great fly fishing destinations I needed to experience.
It did not disappoint. The El Grande Pesca Gallo, aka, The Giant Roosterfish was everything he had described and more. From the moment I saw one of their seven pronged top fins break the water, then jet away, I was hooked. From their namesake “comb” top fin, to their beautifully colored scales, these fish are some of the most beautiful creatures I’ve yet to witness.
One of the first things I found out was that these beauties, weighing in from 20 to 100 pounds, were no amateurs when it came to hunting, and they weren’t going to be caught with lazy fishing tactics. I love it when my prey makes me break out my A game. At first strike, I knew I was in for a fight, and it was like that all day, fish after fish.
When we’d finished for a day and I’d head back to the dock and my air bnb I was walking on a cloud. The entire experience was like living in a dream for someone who loves to fly fish like I do. The feeling of holding one up for a trophy photo, their Freddy Kruger like “knives” along the top of their spine shining in the sun, was like winning a prize fight against a world champion.
The Roosterfish here in Baja California Sur, range in size with the seasons, but can be caught all year round. For the biggest and best catches, the Summer is what we recommend, and while we can never guarantee you’re up to the challenge, we can guarantee that when we find them, they will bring it.
These beauties are wide ranging, from here in Baja Sur down to Peru and can get up to five feet long. Most of what we pull out of the water at El Gallo is in the thirty pound range, more than enough to wear out even our stoutest fly fishers after three or four hours of fishing.
At El Gallo the experience is purely catch and release. And the Roosterfish ranks as top contender among local fly fishers for fun catches. As a prize photo poser, their two horizontal stripes and amazing iridescent coloring make them an amazing brag book photo and just being that close to an animal that magnificent is next to a spiritual experience for many of us.
If you take your fish research seriously, you’ll find an interesting fact about the Roosterfish, it is completely unique among all known species of fish, for one odd biological feature. Their swim bladder, the organ that helps fish stay afloat, and upright, pierces through their ear canal, allowing them to amplify sound from their nearby surroundings, which may account for their smarts when being stalked by anglers.
One thing that makes these an ideal species to pursue is their love of shoreline, where they thrive on smaller bait fish. While they tend to prefer sandy bottoms, rocky islands, and reefs are also great hangouts for some of the larger Roosters. Their ability to run in open water makes them so much fun to hook and catch.
Here at El Gallo, all of our guides are experts at hunting the local game fish species, and specialize in knowing where and when the Roosterfish will be feeding and most susceptible to a well cast fly. In fact, they are all fishers themselves, and when a guest has a monster Rooster on the line, their excitement has been known to match that of the fisher holding the pole.
While I’d like to say that chasing and catching Roosterfish was a once in a lifetime experience, it’s kind of become part of my new normal, and it’s an everyday occurrence for the sport fishing guides of Ensenada de Muertos, That, and their majestic beauty is why we’ve chosen them as the namesake and mascot of our lodge, which is setting the bar for fishing excursions here in Baja California Sur.
There’s a lot of sport fishing here, a lot of great professional guides too. But, here at El Gallo, we are focused on one thing, giving you exactly the kind of experience you expect from a luxury fishing lodge that handles small parties. We’re unique to our area, but to be honest, we’re kind of the new norm for fly fishing experiences too. What we hope to become is another stop on your list for great flyfishing, great accommodations, and the best professional guides the region has to offer.
We know there are great flyfishing experiences in nearly every part of the world, we’ve been there. So, we’re not trying to take anything away from a quiet afternoon at the foot of the Rockies in a Colorado stream, or casting for steelhead in the wilds of Alaska. But, we think you might want to make room on your fly fishing destination bucket list for a trip to El Gallo. We know you’ll love our lodge, and we’re pretty sure you’re going to feel about the same way we do about catching Roosterfish.
Just for grins, we’ll also throw in some of the best photos you’ll get with a Roosterfish, anywhere in Baja California, and we think you’ll agree, we’re setting the bar for what fly fishing excursions are all about in Baja California Sur Mexico.
Summery
No matter your skill level, or which type of fly fishing is your preferred method fly fishing for roosterfish should be be considered a high level must do on your list of fly fishing accomplishments. Bahia de los Suenos is one of, (if not), the best of locations to accomplish this task. If you wish to have more information, even if you don’t wish to stay at our lodge, give Donnie Price a shout. He will be happy to discuss the ins and outs of fly fishing for roosterfish in Baja California.
Cheers!
- EL GALLO BLOG
- Bahia de los Muertos, Bahia de los Suenos, Baja California, Dorado, Fly Fishing, fly fishing lodge, la paz, Los Suenos, mahi mahi, Mexico, Muertos Bay, Roosterfish, sea of cortez, the bay of dreams, yellowfin, yellowtail
- September 29, 2022
