East Cape Baja, Mexico
Target species: Dorado, tuna, roosterfish, marlin
January avg. temps: 75 high, 56 low
Round-trip airfare to San José del Cabo: $513
Accommodations: Lodge room, $701 for two people for four nights, including daily charter boat and meals

This is one of the best deals in all of fishing. The East Cape area near the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula is relatively undeveloped except for a few beachfront resort hotels catering mostly to anglers. The Van Wormer family operates three of these (vanwormerresorts.com), with everything from kayak flyfishing to big-game offshore trolling available. My favorite option is fishing with a local captain from a 23-foot super panga (an outboard-powered center-console boat). You and a buddy get meals, four nights’ lodging, and three days’ charter fishing for about $350 each. (For more on this region, see “Baja by Bike,”)

--John Merwin