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 just wanted to drop you a quick email to let you know we had a wonderful time in Cabo. Villa Del Arco was beautiful and we could not have asked for a better room or room location. I also wanted to thank you for quickly taking care of the small snag for us at check in so quickly. I was starting to sweat it but it turned out seamless. Our kids want to go again next year, so I am be contacting you sometime in the future.
What we loved:
- Beautiful resort, excellent location, wonderful suite, good price, great amenities
- The food was AMAZING, especially the sushi; seriously, some of the best food I've ever had in my whole life
- Bob, you were a pleasure to work with
Molly B, Redmond, WA
I really enjoyed myself and am eagerly looking forward to my next visit. My family had the best vacation of their lives, and I got to eat some really great food and drink delicious sangria. I highly recommend this place to all interested parties.
Our vacation was outstanding. Villa La Estancia is a beautiful place and room 1605 exceeded our expectations. The airport shuttle was awesome too. As we have been there several times we knew just to head outside and ignore the salesman. The door slid open the sun and heat hit our face, and there was our driver holding our name and the vacation officially started.
Brent Lutz, Snoqualmie Washington
I just wanted to take a minute to let you know how much we enjoyed our recent Cabo vacation. The Villa del Arco was just a fantastic place to get away and enjoy the awesome weather that is Cabo San Lucas. More importantly, I would like to thank you for the professional way in which you handled all of the details of this trip to make it as hassle-free as possible. Having been in the vacation reservation industry for several years, I can appreciate how many details need to be addressed to make a trip and stay a great experience. All of the information and coordination you provided was excellent. I especially appreciated the recommendations of several outstanding restaurants that turned out to be the best finds of the trip.
This also applies to the trip my son made to Cabo a few weeks before. He had never been to Cabo and absolutely loved everything about it. For a relatively inexperienced traveler, you made his trip one that he will remember for a lifetime.
Again, thank you for doing an outstanding job and providing a service that is second to none. I will certainly be a repeat customer.
Sincerely,
Wayne Hoover
Lexington, KY
Wayne Hoover, Lexington, KY
The place was great just the internet was a bit difficult at times but worked it out. The lady that came out to trouble shoot the problem was great and at the end it all worked out. Thanks for the great place we all had a blast.
Pat G., Dana point, CA
My experience travelling as a single person was great with all your help. I have no complaints and everyone was helpful and friendly, and the transportation service was on time and the driver was very personable. Thank you for making my trip a good one!
Sincerely,
Sher C.
Sheri Cohen, La Jolla California
Bob, Great time. I think Arco has upped their attention to detail....wonderful new SVS(I think thats the service). We felt llike we were at the Taj Mahal and royalty. Very nice touch!! And yes the towel colors are the same tan stripe. Thanks Again...til next visit.
Wende B., Navato, CA
Hi bob. We had a wonderful time. I was a bit skeptical at first when I found you website that somehow I was going to get scammed. Obviously we did not. I would absolutely 100% recommend destination vacations based on my experience
We did take the tour but were not prepared to invest. I did conclude that I would like to take advantage of their introductory package but am unable to find the person to whom I spoke. Perhaps with some more digging I can find that person.
I believe the gals name was Donna to whom I last spoke and gave me the intro package offer. They only allowed me to take a picture of it. I would have some more questions before I could invest for sure or not
Thanks
Thomas K, [email protected]
From the moment we arrived the place was like "paradise". The unit was beyond unbelievable...can't say enough how much we enjoyed and loved it. From the fabulous views to the spacious and quiet location, to the people that serviced us.
One day at the pool, I forgot to sign for the tab, and our server who we basically had the whole time called me and said " no worries I will come to your room". He went out of his way and was always so appreciative.
We were not hounded by the "time share" people at all, which was a pleasant surprise.
All in all everyone was so gracious and accommodating. We had a fabulous time, and of course sad to leave.
Even the transportation company was right on time both ways. And very polite and good drivers. As you know I was a little apprehensive.
I would absolutely return again to VDA. It is truly a 5 star resort. Btw, we did not eat dinner there but had breakfast/lunch everyday. The food was to perfection.
Thank you for everything.
Kim G., Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
You did it again. As you know we are frequent visitors to Los Cabos and the surrounding area. Since this was going to be a longer trip I felt I should give you a call for the best deal at our favorite Vill del Arco. Once again you did a great job! From the incredibly reliable service of transportation to and from the resort to the room itself, everything was perfect. Knowing a bit about the resort I was able to secure a top floor room near the penthouse for a small upgrade fee which due to your incredible rates made perfect sense. We also added the "All Inclusive" to our stay upon arrival and were very, very pleased with our decision, it really is all inclusive!
Villa del Arco and really all the Villa properties are very well managed and the rooms are always very clean, not to mention the incredible staff. All the way from the groundskeepers to the management.
We will be calling again soon because unlike other travel providers to Cabo you go above and beyond to make your clients stay, as easy and relaxing as possible.
Can't thank you enough.
Craig
Craig L., Farmington, NM