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
Our Cabo vacation at Villa la Estancia far exceeded our expectations. While I am always nervous about accommodations in foreign countries, Bob from EstanciaCabo.com was quick to answer all my questions and calm my fears. Check in at the hotel was a breeze, and the staff could not have been more helpful! The room was very clean, spacious, and beautiful. Additionally, the grounds of the hotel were pristine. Not a day went by when the staff wasn't constantly cleaning, trimming, and polishing. Estancia is the perfect distance from town - a 3 minute cab ride or short walk along the beach. We could not have been happier with our experience! We were so happy with Estancia that we are having all our guests stay there for our June 2011 wedding, and we will certainly be using EstanciaCabo.como for all of our reservations!
Thank you so much, Patrick and Donielle (St Louis, MO)
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 loved it! Such an easy, fun, beautiful family vacation. Thank you for putting it all together for us. We hope to go again sometime.
Kathy K., Beverly Hills, CA
The place was really so beautiful, we loved it so much. Thanks for letting us stay in your villa we have created some memorable moments here. Thanks once again. We will sure come back again and ask for 1208 villa. And Yvonne was so great she does an immaculate job.
We had a great time and everything was perfect. The villa was awesome and the transportation provided was great. I appreciate your assistance and will contact you next time we head down south.
Thanks
Jeff
Jeff Galloway, Washougal Washington
Just want to say that we could not possibly be more pleased! The trip so far - from our flight to our ride to the resort to the resort itself have been perfect. The room we have is exceptional and the treatment we have received is beyond compare! I know you probably hear a lot of bitching from clients and we just wanted to let you know how extremely satisfied we are. We will definitly be back here. This is quickly turning into the best vacation ever for us.
Look us up when you get here we'd like to shake your hand. have a safe flight
Best Regards
Ray & Sharon Zakoor
Ray Z.
Good Morning Bob,
I just wanted to send you a quick note to say how much we enjoyed the villa. It was beautiful and I couldn't have asked for more. We will be going down next year for a couple of weeks this time and will be in touch with you to secure our stay. As well, we have others that may be interested and will forward your name to them as well. I will be writing a review in the next little bit but I just wanted to send you a quick note to say thanks
Shannon
Bob
I just wanted to thank you for all the help you provided us to make our vacation to Cabo a great one. We went to Peacocks, Ediths, La Dolce, Sancho panza and loved them all. All your recommendations were right on. We loved our accomodations and the great location to the beach and pool. My husband took a course there which he is allowed to write off. Could you send me a receipt for the hotel as well as a receipt from the transportation? Once again,thanks
Carla
We had a wonderful trip and the accomodations were very nice. We enjoyed the room location by the pool. The restaurant was excellent and the staff very good. Thank you for your assistance.
jill Blackmon