Baja Fishing in Popotla

During this past week I was invited to go to the small fishing town of Popotla, which is a couple of minutes of South of Rosarito and literally a few meters walk from Fox Studios Baja. At first glance, the idea of going fishing for only the second time in my life seemed enticing. However, final projects and exams are coming up quickly and I still have some catching up to do. Nonetheless, I chose to forget about school for a couple of hours and go looking for adventure. After enjoying a full day of fishing, sitting in a boat in the middle of the ocean contemplating the horizon and eating fish tacos, I can confidently say I made the right choice.

If you are at all familiar with fishing, then you probably know that the fishes usually go near the coast in the morning. That means you have to wake up fairly early if you want to actually catch anything. So at 6 in the morning we started our trip toward Popotla. Traveling through the Tijuana-Ensenada scenic road, Popotla is located less than a half a mile south of Fox Studios Baja. At the town entrance, there are big white arches that signal your arrival to the colorful town. We went underneath the arches through a narrow road and finally reached our destination. The sun was just appearing in the horizon when we were ready to start our adventure. It looked something like this:



source: BlakeRead

We rented all the equipment we needed (since it's quite tricky to catch fish with your bare hands) and ventured forth into the sea. Five people (including a fisherman, some friends and me) tried our luck for about six or seven hours. I should remind you, fishing, although simple in theory, is not as easy to pull off as it seems. To attract the fish, you need bait. You can either use live bait, or, as was our case, plastic bait that looks exactly like a small fish. You cannot use a generic "plastic fish" and expect to catch something. You have to use the plastic bait according to the type of fish you want to attract. To put it in simpler terms, if your fish likes to eat little yellow fishes with dark spots, you need to have bait that closely resembles that. Otherwise, you won't have much luck.

According to the fishermen that kindly gave me some tips, all you have to do is throw your fishing rod as far as possible and then start pulling. I asked him: Why do I pull if I haven't caught anything? Because if you don't pull, the fish won't be attracted to something that does not move, he responded. That made sense, since a moving fish is more likely to be mistaken for a real fish than one that does not move. Duh. Having all the theoretical information, I proceeded to get on the small boat before putting the knowledge I just acquired in practice. Here is a picture of the how the modest boat we rented looked:

source: Antonio Martinez

As you noticed, our budget was not great and we had to settle for a practical option. Either way, I was fully prepared to lure some fish with my fanciful plastic bait. The early morning sun reflected playfully across the calming swell of the ocean, and I smiled at the thought of our little boat drifting lazily across the water. I hoped to stay there as long as possible, completely absorbed in my quiet thoughts in the middle of the ocean, without having to worry about my upcoming final exams. I desperately needed a dose of relaxation before a potential stressful week at school. Fishing was the perfect solution. My mind and body were completely engaged in trying to grasp the unexpected joy of capturing a fish. The contrast of the long periods of pensive daydreaming and the exhiliraing jolts of reeling in a live fish were the perfect emotional seesaw. The serene undulations of the boat and near perfect weather completely lulled me into losing all track of time. Almost eight hours passed, yet it felt more like two hours. I only caught a couple of small fishes, but by the end of the day, I began to experience the subtle discomfort of the day long fatigue.

It was the most fun I've had in a while, especially since it felt like I had embarked on a mini vacation. Later that day, when the sun was already setting and it was time to go, I struggled to let go of that place. It was only my second time fishing, but I can confidently say it is one of my favorite things to do. You will not fully appreciate the essence of fishing until you experiment it yourself. This picture captures the tranquility you imbibe when you're down in Baja:

source: BlakeRead

Simply breathtaking. Whenever I look at that picture I wish I could be inside one of those boats, gliding gently across the scenic waters with nothing but beauty to occupy my time. The fading sunrays reminded me that the day was nearly over, and despite my best efforts to linger there longer, my stomach reminded me that I had not eaten yet. To keep up with the running theme of the day, fish tacos were our next destination. Popotla, famous for its fishing, naturally offers a wide array of seafood restaurants with excellent dishes. Part of the reason why the food is so good can be attributed to the fact that the fish are fresh, and the difference is evident once you have a sample. Just take a bite out of one of these:

source: BlakeRead

Not only was the food excellent, it came at a very reasonable price. The atmosphere is truly unique. Several places, including the one I attended, have live music, either popular Mexican music performed by a band, or typical pop songs performed by a semi-professional singer the restaurant hires. The singers are dedicated to attend to the customer's request, and even let the customers sing karaoke style if they choose to do so. It definitely felt like a party. In fact, it was an actual party. Both locals and tourists were delighted with the food, music and overall good vibe the place had. It's not hard to see why Baja has gotten increasingly popular over the years. Once you experience it, you fall in love with the scenery, surroundings, culture, and lifestyle. Maybe this week I'll be studying day and night for my final exams, but once I'm done with that, I already know where I'm going to be. Till next time.