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
Cabo was fabulous!! Everyone was very pleased with the resort and had a great time. The next time we go back to Cabo I would like to stay at the Villa Del Arco. That was beautiful!! But, the Villa Del Palmar was perfect with all of the kids.
Patty , Hastings, MI
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
Hi Bob! Thank you for your business. We enjoyed stay at Villa del Arco. We refer you for our friends in San Diego, Seattle and Orange County.
Thank you.
Lev.
Lev , San Diego
Weather was cool for the first part of the week but got very nice by the end of the week. The waves were huge this week reaching the wall on several occasions. The unit was great and in great shape. Sad to see new hotel on the beach but that's progress. This will be a big city soon! Looking forward to coming in September and December!
We had a great Spring Break in Cabo!! Thanks for all of your information, it really helped! All 16 of us had a blast!
Jennifer , Hasting, MI
What a place!! My girlfriends and I had an exceptional time in Cabo! Villa 3201 was incredible! Spacious (plenty of room for 8 comfortably), clean, updated, warm, and inviting, not to mention the view!!! The catering services we used on site were top notch. I was expecting a Mexican taco bar brought to the villa in aluminum trays and on a more "serve yourself" type fare. Not so! It was a full-on 5 course personally served gourmet meal! What a pleasant surprise! The staff couldn't have been more professional. From the time we stepped off the plane until we got back to the airport! PERFECT! Thank you, Bob, for all your help. You went above and beyond and I so appreciate it! Sorry we didn't ever connect but maybe next time! Take care and thanks again for everything!
Cheers!
Mary B.
The picture is the night of the Mexican taco bar! (I'm in the pink!!) :)
Mary Buntmann, Greenwood Colorado
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 trip to Cabo was absolutely AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks so much for all your help and for getting us upgraded to the penthouse. We will definately make plans to go back next year. I was very skeptical bacause we have been to Cancun - Wow not even fair to put them in same sentence. Thanks again for helping us with a wonderful experience and great trip.
Kim S., Gainsville, GA
I Loved It!! All of the staff is amazing there. Two of my waiters by the pool were Juan and Raymundo and they were great, I loved water aerobics everyday with Hugo and the entire entertainment staff at night was funny and very enjoyable!! Also, Bagous, the cook at the Japanese restaurant was so good!
I had such a good time and enjoyed Cabo so much I am now looking to relocate there!
Thank you for your response, I wanted to make sure everyone got the credit they deserve!!
Best Regards,
Amanda
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.