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
Bob,
This is Sandy S. and we had a reservation at Villa La Estancia from July 16 & 20. I just want you to know how much I appreciate all the help and advice you gave me because our reservation and vacation was just fabulous. Our children, grandchildren, and best friends joined us on the trip because we were celebrating my husbands 60th birthday. We all were impressed with the facilities, location, and employees of the Villa La Estancia. Your room selection for us was perfect. We enjoyed the shade in the morning as we set on the balcony for hours and enjoyed the sunrise and view of the Sea of Cortez and Lands End. As we traveled around during our stay we all decided that our Villa was the best and we were so happy to be there. Check-out with our own separate room charges made the process so simple and fast. It really could not have been any more perfect! If we ever advise anyone traveling to Cabo, or vacation there again ourselves, I will definitely recommend you and Destination Cabo. Again, thanks for your help in making our vacation a fabulous one!
Sandy
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
We had a wonderful stay at the Villa Del Arco. Our room had an amazing view of the pool and ocean. It was perfect for our family. We did 2 timeshares, one at Cabo Villas and one at the Del Arco. We saved a lot of money booking thru you and you gave us the best deal around. I am so glad I found your web site and will be calling you next year to book another week at the Del Arco if available.
Shawna S., Scottsdale AZ
The entire process from start (gathering info) to finish (booking) was easy and painless. I sent Bob several emails with questions and he got back to me quickly and with more details than I had expected. I travel a lot and continue to be impressed with Bob's outstanding professionalism and follow-up. Thanks you for all your efforts and going beyond the call of duty - You are a credit to all you encounter.
Service:10 - best
Value:9 - outstanding
Attractiveness:10 - best
Overall Rating:10 - best
Stacey, Bay Area California
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
Hi Bob.....
We had a great time in Cabo...Loved the accommodations, the rooms were great. Loved the view of Land's End. The food was the best I've had at an all-inclusive, as were the drinks. When I ordered a beer it came in a can, not a dixie cup. It was a little confusing at first on what was included, because we had to sign for everything, but got that figured out, and was no problem. Will definitely stay here again. I am planning a trip for about 6 couples, so if you could send me some information to pass on that would be great.
Thanks for all you help.
Patsy
Wonderful!!! That's what comes to mind when we think about our stay in Cabo. The condo was perfect for our family. With all the amenities it was like being at home and away at the same time. Beautiful decor and everything we needed We truly enjoyed it, Thank you.
Very nice place. Staff was able to repair the master bedroom toilet that had a sticky valve. Everything else was fabulous. The unit layout is perfect.
On the extremely positive side, my business partner has a number of investment type properties and has been staying in different type properties around the world, and yours is the best he's ever been in and was quite impressed.
Your Cabo guide is great and you were right on with the restaurant recommendations. We ate lunch at Tobascos everyday, although their prices have gone up a bit...
Thanks again, and we hope to come back some day.
Ray V.
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]
Bob, thanks again - everything was perfect in Cabo with your help. I would recommend you to any of my friends and relatives to use your service if traveling to Cabo. Hope we can team up again Joe
Joe W., Houston