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
We had an amazing time, AGAIN! The villa was very clean when we arrived and besides the phone issue...trust me, I did not want to make any calls, everything worked great and was in tip top condition. The kitchen is very well stocked with everything you would need to make a gourmet meal. Everyone is extremely friendly there at Estancia and even remembered my name down by the pool. Looking forward to Thanksgiving next year!
Todd P., Seattle
Just wanted to thank you for helping us book the Villa in Cabo. Everything turned out great, and the place was nice.
Hiten
Thank you for everything! We had the greatest time in Cabo and will recommend you to all of our friends. Please send me all the specials you might have throughout the year. I wish we can go back soon.
Regards,
Lena
Lena V, LA
Hi Bob: We loved it and looking to stay again next year, during whale watching season. The villa we had was perfect for our needs and had a stunning view! We were at the "U" like you mentioned on our phone call. Staff at the villa were top notch too. Unfortunately, I was sick the entire week with the flu but what a great place to relax.
The shuttle service was priceless and worth every penny. On time both ways and very accommodating.
I will definitely be doing business with you again! I see why Jim H. referred you! :)
Sandra , California
Your low rates surprised us (we go to Cabo often and usually use Orbitz or other such sites.) On this trip we booked through you at way lower rates and our suite had the best location of any of our trips! Thank you.
Shelley Sugar Land, TX
We had a really great time on our family vacation. The two bedroom suite we had was absolutely beautiful. The view was super. We could see the ocean and the pool. I really liked that the bldg. we were in (3) was shaded in the evening so we could sit on the deck and relax. The Villa del Arco was a really nice choice. The nachos and Guacamole at the pool were very good. The service was great too at the pool. We met some great people. I liked that this resort was not constantly noisy with the music or people. The view out to Lands End was great. We went to town couple times and we had so much fun. Love the culture. Our kids are 18 & 22 and they loved it too. Love the food and the drinks and the shopping.
We definitely will be back.
Thank you Bob for setting us up at a really nice place-we had a super family vacation.
Patty Steinkamp from Iowa
Patty Steinkamp, Iowa
We had a GREAT trip! Hadn't been to Cabo in 9 years so we had HUGE sticker shock. Wondering how much of that was spring break or just that Cabo has gotten a lot more expensive. We felt that it was Hawaii prices. Wish we'd thought to do the discount card as you recommended. Just ran out of time.
Wow, the town/highway/growth had changed. All good but somewhat sad to see all the American comforts (Walmart, Costco, Home Depot). Thankfully the water and people were still exceptionally authentic.
The resort was amazing. Our suite was just perfect for the 7 of us - plenty of room, nice to have washer and dryer, comfortable beds, great shower pressure. At first we were sad to not be located on a higher floor and right behind the pirate ship but it ended up being a great location for the kids going back and forth to the room. What we loved most, having spent all our vacations at Palmar, was how quiet and secluded Arcos felt and wasn't filled with drunk spring breakers (there were plenty on the beach on either side of us, but Arcos felt like its own little Oasis). We loved the trolly to the market and access to the whale slide. The pools at Arco were clean and maintained and the beach in front was clean and cared for and the vendors were not pushy at all but rather fun to talk to.
Amazing, friendly service. Highlights: Mariano the bellman, Leticia the massage therapist at the spa, all the receptionists at the workout room/spa, our housekeeper who put up with 5 boys, Horatio who gave us the tour but was not high pressure to buy (although we seriously considered it). The hospitality suite and workout rooms were great, clean, up to date. The spa was luxurious beyond belief. I would have forgone food the entire week just to spend a few days there. The food in both restaurants and Tortuga at Palmar was average so we ate mostly in town and at Office and at Mango Deck.
We rented a car and went to Cerritos and Todos Santos. What a great day and I'd highly recommend that.
Overall A+. We would love to rent from you again, but at non-peak season. Do you have places in other resorts around the world?
Meg
Meg, Boulder, CO
Thank you so much for the use of your condo and all the helpful hints in planning our trip. We had a great week. Hope to come back and visit again The girls had a great time experiencing the night life in Cabo as did we. Thanks Again, John and Jane
We had a great time! The villa was excellent & the transportation to & from airport was right on time! Perfect- we'd do it again!
Lisa F., Roseville, CA
What a great trip! We absolutely loved Cabo. It was our first trip to Mexico and we weren't sure what to expect. Thankfully you had sent Destination Vacations Welcomes You To Cabo download. It was amazingly helpful to us in planning transportation, shopping and activities. Our transportation through Transpacifico was seamless including a planned stop at Costco! Our room at Villa Estancia was gorgeous and spacious. Our three daughters 18,15 and 10 had plenty of space to change their bathing suits hundreds of times without running into each other. We loved the pool, swim up bar and beautiful beach. The water was cooler than we had expected but it didn't stop our girls from playing and swimming in the waves. We loved the Villa Del Palmar Fiesta with the dancing and Mexican buffet. With so many activities to choose from, we have to plan another vacation back to Cabo. Maybe next time without the kids!
Thanks again for your prompt response and helpful information,
Lynne
Lynne K., Chanhassen, MN