Reprinted with permission from The Baja Catch: A Fishing, Travel & Remote Camping Manual for Baja California (Mexico), 3rd Edition, by Neil Kelly and Gene Kira. See complete information on The Baja Catch and Jointed Rebel lures, as well as online ordering from our BajaDestinations.com secure shopping cart.

---

What kind of lures do we use in shallow water?

Through trial and error, we have reduced our list of "most favored" lures to the point that it seems suspiciously short to the average angler. Almost exclusively, we use small, jointed bass plugs in shallow water.

Note that when we recommend a family of lures or even a specific lure, it doesn't mean that's all we, or you, should use. We "audition" nearly every fancy dancer that comes down the road.

By far, the most productive lure we have ever discovered for reef fishing and near-shore fishing is the four-and-a-half-inch, Rebel Jointed Fastrac. This lure is equipped with a small spoon bill that takes it about six feet below the surface but allows it to swim rapidly without popping out of the water and skittering on the surface.

When the fish are hiding deep below cliffs or down between the boulders, we generally will switch to another Rebel jointed plug, called the Spoonbill. This plug is similar to the Fastrac, but has a larger diving spoon on its nose that takes it about twice as deep. We fish this lure s-l-o-w-l-y.

Both the Fastrac and the Spoonbill are also made in a larger, five-and-a-half-inch size, but these bigger lures don't catch quite as many fish. After catching and releasing well over 30,000 game fish in Baja, we feel confident in stating that most of the species you will encounter are more likely to strike a small lure than a big one. This includes monster fish. However, since the five-inch jobs are heavier, they are better for casting. And, since their hooks are stronger, they require fewer stops for on-the-spot repairs when the action is really hot.

We carry both sizes of both models of these Jointed Rebel plugs.

There are many other brands of lures in this minnow-shaped family, some jointed and some not. We also regularly use the Rapala Magnum lures in the 9-cm and 11-cm sizes, and we have gotten good results with many other brands.

A good selection of very effective lures for fishing in the shallow mangrove channels of Magdalena Bay, Baja California Sur, Mexico. Photo reprinted with permission from The Baja Catch.

However, we rely on Jointed Rebels, and we feel that they will handle 90 percent of your shallow water fishing requirements in Baja. We have caught over 50 species of fish with these lures, including the majority of fish listed in Chapter 22, A Rogue's Gallery [The Baja Catch].

Colors? There are many beautiful colors on the market, and some of them are so pretty, you feel more like hanging them on a Christmas tree rather than throwing them into the water.

We use blue-and-silver in open water, for almost everything will hit it, especially sierra. Black-and-silver is the favorite of corvina, white seabass, roosterfish, and leopard grouper. Bass of all types prefer any lure that looks like it's black-and-gold. Green mackerel-and-gold, or blue mackerel-and-silver are tops for yellowtail, dorado or tuna.

Lately, we have been amazed by the all-round effectiveness of orange-and-gold, which comes very close to being the best color combination of all.

If we could only have one lure to use in Baja, it would be a four-and-a-half-inch, Rebel Fastrac in either blue-and-silver or orange-and-gold.

We also have a number of "spooks" on board. These are generally in bright, weird colors that we couldn't resist buying during the last trip to the tackle shop, or they are old beaten up lures that we have repainted with these same bright, weird colors. Once in a while, a spook will "turn on" and nail fish for you. When the action is hot and heavy, it's great fun to see if your spooks will out fish your regular lures.

However, when the going gets tough, we put our money on good old blue-and-silver, or lately, orange-and-gold.

Although the best all-around lure is the jointed minnow-type, there is nothing magical about the Rebel or Rapala brands. The stores and catalogs are filled with thousands of these minnow-type products. Keep experimenting. Who knows? You might discover something that makes 'em jump right into the ice chest and fillet themselves.

---

Reprinted from The Baja Catch: A Fishing, Travel & Remote Camping Manual for Baja California (Mexico), 3rd Edition. May not be copied or reproduced without written permission. Important warning, notice, and disclaimer about the information contained in The Baja Catch.

MEXICO FISHING < REBEL LURES < USING JOINTED REBEL LURES IN SHALLOW SALTWATER