My friend had been in touch with a guide in La Paz through phone and text to purchase a casting deck for a skiff, and the plan was to drive down and pick it up. The guide kindly offered to take us fly fishing for half price, saying, “I’m slow, and since you’re buying the deck, let’s go fly fishing!” We were thrilled and eager for the day ahead.
When we arrived, however, we were met with a surprise: the guide had laid out 20 spinning rods on his Maverick. This wasn’t what we had expected, as we’d brought our own fly rods. But we decided to roll with it and got on the boat anyway. After about 15 minutes on the water, the guide abruptly turned the boat around, saying, “This place isn’t good today,” and asked us to follow him down north in our truck.
After trailering the boat, we followed him north, where he relaunched the skiff and took us fishing for about two hours. Midway through, he got caught up in a phone conversation and suddenly headed to his attorney’s office, which was conveniently located on the water. He hopped out onto the rocks and told us to take the skiff ourselves and fish near some rocks a bit further down the bay. We did as instructed, but he was gone for over an hour. When he returned, he said, “This place sucks, let’s go back to La Paz,” so we trailed the boat again and headed back.
Once back in La Paz, the guide took us out for another two minutes to some rather standard fishing spots, where we blind cast near mangroves and docks. Unfortunately, we didn’t see a single fish all day. The guide was clearly distracted, preoccupied with personal issues—he mentioned going through a divorce, which seemed to weigh heavily on him throughout the trip.
In the end, he asked for the full $900, which was far from the half-price rate we had discussed earlier. We felt uneasy but gave him the cash anyway, understanding that he was likely struggling financially. The entire situation felt off, especially when we ended up at his house in a quiet backstreet neighborhood, with his brother sitting on the steps. It was one of the strangest trips we’ve ever experienced.
On the bright side, the casting deck we purchased was great—about a third of the price of a new one—so at least we came away with that. In hindsight, though, we wondered if this guide might not have been the actual guide at all. He had a twin brother, and it made us think that maybe the real guide let his brother take the trip to help him out during a difficult time. There were certainly enough odd moments, especially when he offered us to get high during the trip.
Despite everything, we did manage to get something positive out of the day. But for those looking for a proper fishing experience, I’d recommend doing a little more research ahead of time—especially if you’re after something as exciting as catching dorado. Check out this guide on how to catch a dorado for a more rewarding and focused adventure.