Booked a 3/4 day trip on the El Amo and headed toward the Marieta Islands. Captain and deckhand were very friendly and constantly busy trying to get us on fish, changing baits, setting lines out, etc. Fishing was pretty good, our group caught around 2 dozen Bonitas, 4 Jacks and the highlight was a good sized Spanish Mackeral. Had several other decent bites that didn't get hooked up. I was really hoping we would catch a Mahi Mahi but no luck that day (I fish a lot so I understand that you don't always catch fish). I was told by the deckhand for the best chance at larger species like Mahi, Tuna, Marlin, etc. to book a longer 10 -12 hour trip. 6 hour trips only go 18-20 miles out and the longer trips go 40 miles plus. Was also told that November and December are the best months at larger species around the Bay for shorter trips. I mention this as something to consider if booking, just depends how long you want to fish and dedication to fishing as it relates to the rest of your party. My friend and I only booked the 6 hour because our wives came along and fishing was not their primary focus of this vacation. Crew also made fresh ceviche from several of the Bonitas which was very good! One item to note: bring cash with you to pay for the balance of the charter in the morning, our friends thought they would be able to use a card to pay and ended up having to go to an ATM to get cash which cut into our primetime early morning fishing. Overall a very relaxing and enjoyable experience. Maybe next time it won't be so relaxing as we will be worn out from reeling in the big one!
