Cabo San Lucas is known as “The Marlin Capital of the World” and it is home to some of the best sport fishing in general. Anglers come from around the world to catch the striped, black, and blue marlin and many more of the 5,000 different species living in the Sea of Cortez. Whether you are a rookie angler or a seasoned pro, everyone can have a great time reeling in the biggest catch of their life out on the Los Cabos waters. Sport fishing in Cabo San Lucas has brought in some of the best charter boat companies, tournaments, and anglers from all over. You can charter a smaller 4 man boat or celebrate with all your friends on one of the state-of-the-art all inclusive yachts that can host up to 25 guests. If you are planning a trip to Cabo San Lucas, do not pass up the opportunity to go sport fishing, it is an adventure you will remember forever.
Cabo San Lucas Fishing - General Information
Los Cabos Charter Boats: It is highly recommended that you reserve a charter boat far in advance, and at latest up to one week before you arrive in Cabo San Lucas. You can reserve anything from a shared charter to help lower the costs if you only have one or two people all the way up to 8, 12, and 25 person super yachts. View a list of Cabo San Lucas sport fishing charters or read advice on sharing a fishing charter.
Cabo San Lucas Fishing Costs: A smaller vessel that will fit up to four people will generally cost around $500 for an eight hour day, not including taxes, fees, gratuity, cleaning and freezing, etc. If you have a large group, expect to pay upwards of $1,500 for a whole day on a nicer boat or $2,800+ for a yacht. It is expected that you tip your captain anywhere between 10-20% of the total charter price, which he will share with his deckhand. Tipping should be related to their quality of service, not for the amount of fish you caught on the trip. If you plan on keeping any fish, you will have to pay for the cleaning and freezing once you get back to the docks; price depends on size of fish.
Catch and Release: Although the Los Cabos area is well known for its abundance of large sailfish, you are only legally allowed to bring in one sailfish per day. Most anglers will catch and release all of their sailfish and bring in the smaller game fish that are great for eating like tuna, Dorado, Wahoo, and yellowtail. Bring your fresh fish back to your resort’s restaurant and for a small fee they will cook your fish for dinner that evening… nothing better than fresh fish that you caught with your own hands.
What to Bring: After several margaritas the night before and an early meeting time with your captain, people will often forget the bare essentials. Here are several items that you must remember if you want the fishing trip to be fun for your group: sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, warm clothes for the early morning, camera, Dramamine for sea sickness (take one hour prior to setting sail), lunch and beer if you didn’t pay in advance for them to be included, and towel for when you get wet.
Cabo San Lucas Fishing Season: Sport fishing is great year around in Baja, but there are several months where the big prized marlins are biting. If you want to catch a blue or black marlin, your best bet is to head down sometime between June and October. View our entire Cabo San Lucas fishing calendar for a complete breakdown of what fish are biting and when. Read over our insider fishing tips to ensure a successful adventure your next time visiting Baja California.
Complete Cabo San Lucas Fishing Guide
Reviews
I've stayed at many 5-Star hotels in the past. None have been as informative and conscientious in advance of a stay as you have been. Thank you!
Greetings!! I must say that I had THE best time in Cabo recently. I booked my stay through this website and everything, and I mean everything, was perfect!! The price was unbeatable, first of all. The transportation that we booked couldn't have worked out better. The driver was right there waiting for us once we got off of the plane. The drive was smooth, the driver was pleasant and very informative. We were lucky and just missed the storm, so the weather was really nice. Humid, but nice.
I have never written a review for anything before. I had to make certain to do that this time. It was our first time staying in Cabo. Check-in went smoothly, and, the best part, our room. It exceeded our expectations. It was just like the pictures. We had the perfect veiw and the accomodations were wonderful. Bob, on behalf of my party of 4, I would like to say Muchisimas Gracias! for helping us have an AWESOME vacation. I have already been spreading the word about this website and the Villa Del Arco to all of my friends and co-workers. The hotel is gorgeous!! We are already planning our next getaway for Cabo. We want the bigger room with the spa on the balcony. That just sounds so relaxing. I can't wait. Thanks again
Jessalyn Starks, Califonis
It was a fantastic trip. There ended up being 5 families and 19 people in our party by the end of the trip (10 parents, 9 kids) so it was a lot of fun.
We used the all-inclusive extensively (more for breakfast, which was excellent, and lunch/drinks for us during the day) and even though we joined the group for dinner most nights in Cabo the all-inclusive rate you gave us seemed to be a good deal. We would recommend it for families we even attended the Fiesta night which was a lot of fun and included in the package. Our room was great (we've stayed at Villa group twice in Puerto Vallarta), the transportation to/from the airport was perfect, and all in all a very smooth trip.
We met many people who had moved from Palmar over to Arco due to the college kids noise all night long so we were glad our party was at the Arco which was much quieter. Going over there seemed like a constant frat party (not something we wanted our teenagers exposed to) and the staff were obviously not happy serving these kids.
Thanks for the opportunity to give feedback.
Ian Maguire, Vancouver
Hi Bob,
Thank you for arranging our stay at Villa La Estancia, the place was absolutely beautiful, clean and organized. We enjoyed our stay very much and we already passed the word around to family and friends. I am sure you will hear from us pretty soon.
Thanks Mike
We had a great time at Villa Del Arco! The resort is beautiful and our room was really nice. We will definitely be back. When we checked in were told we had 2 free buffet breakfasts, that was a nice surprise as we were not expecting it. My husband and I really liked the gym. They had a number of really nice cardio machines and a nice selection of weight machines. The spa is fabulous!
We've also decided that Cabo is only the only place to stay in Mexico. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Thanks for all your help!
Paula
Paula S., Richfield, MN
Gail and I had a fabulous time. The Villa de Arco was as advertised and our room was exactly as the pictures you sent. As you remember we had scheduled to stay 5 days in 1601, then move to 1501 for the last two nights. The guests coming to stay in 1601 called the hotel and were stuck in the states so we got to spend our whole stay in 1601, a nice treat. We enjoyed the fresh desserts delivered to our door nightly by the head chef and the little touches by the maid staff (towels that looked like swans and a turned down bed designed differently every night). The transportation to and from the airport was timely and efficient. This time of year was a bit muggy and we did get rained on 2 1/2 days, limiting our water activities but so what. It even rained so much one night that our ceiling leaked and the staff offered to move us to another room. Not necessary as it dried up quickly and was no real bother at all. All in all a tremendous stay and well worth it. We look forward to using your services again. Tommy & Gail O'Rourke
Tommy & Gail O'Rourke
As I have already relayed to you, my family and I absolutely loved your condo unit 1501 at Villa del Palmar. We had a wonderful time there. The resort was nice. We didn't participate in the All Inclusive Plan as we go into town for dinner each night, but we did enjoy breakfasts at the cafe and lunches on the beach. The only complaint I could have is the beach service is extremely slow and not very accurate with your orders, but it didn't bother us all that much. We are very interested in renting this unit again next year.
Milissa, Seattle
Thank you so much for your recommendation of Villa Del Arco for our vacation destination. My family and I had a fabulous time! The accommodations were first class and it was truly a vacation of a lifetime. We particularly enjoyed the all-inclusive package and thank you for nudging me in that direction. It was worth every penny of the added cost. Thanks again for everything and we can't wait to come back.
Kyle P., Chicago
The accommodations and the resort were very nice. Also, the staff members were very helpful. All was well when we arrived, and we were given a room which had a great view.
We'd like to thank you for making the entire rental process so easy for us! It was great to be able to make all the arrangements via e-mail, and not be tied up on numerous phone calls. And all the Cabo information you provided was much appreciated... we went to several of the restaurants you recommended -- every one we ate at was excellent!
I've already recommended you to several friends. We were very satisfied!ed!
Steve and Danonne Smith, Portland Oregon
Everything went as planned. The room was spacious and clean. The chips, salsa and margarita upon arrival was a nice touch! Your van transportation was fantastic. We had Roberto. Great guy.
We would book through you again.
Michael C., Irving TX