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
All was fantastic! I will definitely be a return customer of yours! Shana
Shana H., Sausalito
Mel and I had a wonderful stay! As we arrived home in Portland to snow flurries late last night, I reminisced about the warm sunshine we had so loved this last week. The incredible location, however, was only the window dressing for a most stellar suite. The accomodations were amazing and the service pleasant. I would give Villa Del Arco a 10, a 5-star rating! We will remember it always! I want to thank you for all your help through the booking and confirmation of our destination. My sincere thanks for your attentiveness.
Please, at your convenience, would you please send me recommendations of resorts in Puerto Vallarta that would be suitable for our future vacations. Thanks again. We have no doubt that friends and family of ours will someday be guests at Villa Del Arco!
Harriet V., Oregon
Dear Bob and Sue,
Just wanted to thank you for setting up the timeshare rental for us at Villa del Arco....and in particular for all the wonderful (and very useful) information that you sent us on Cabo. We tried several of the restaurants that you suggested and found them all to be pretty good. I think our favorite was the little place on the beach next to the resort - great breakfast, and also a very useful happy hour (7am to 7pm!!) with the best Margaritas on the beach.
The timeshare unit (actually 2 units, 3104A and B I think) was huge, we were very pleased with it. Nice location, right next to the pool at the front, we could almost jump in the pool from our balcony... We did get hassled a little to attend presentations, but we have a fair amount of experience at this (we own a Marriott timeshare in Phuket) so no problems really.
All in all, a great trip - our daughter loved it (the trip was for her 21st birthday), the weather was perfect, and the fishing was good!!
Thanks again - and we will be sure to recommend you to anyone who is thinking of a timeshare or vacation in Cabo
Kind Regards,
Laurence and Te
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
Just wanted to thank you for helping us book the Villa in Cabo. Everything turned out great, and the place was nice.
Hiten
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
Happy new year Bob! Loved the resort! The condo was beyond perfect for the three of us! Had a great time!
Thank you!
Sheila D., New Jersy
We really enjoyed our visit and the resort was very clean and the proximity to the marina and downtown was spectacular.
Sherry W., Alphretta, Georgia
My wife and I absolutely loved our 10 day stay at Villa La Estancia in Los Cabos. We stayed in Villa 1208 and the unit was amazing! With the hotel units being owned it is calmer and more elegant than most of the other resorts there. One of the highlights of our vacation was going out of the Marina on the "La Gringa Boat Tour" with our new friends. It is Cabo's newest powered catamaran tour, offering unforgettable whale watching, snorkeling and fun filled sunset tours that include the iconic Cabo Arch at Land's End on the confluence of the tranquil Sea of Cortez and mighty Pacific Ocean. The La Gringa crew was fun, informative, friendly and entertaining. They served us up a delicious lunch and snacks, chips, guacamole, and Mexican salsa with complementary open bar and soft drinks. We saw Blue whales and had a fantastic lunch then enjoyed snorkeling the calm, fish filled shallow waters off a secluded beach. The entire trip was first class and a great value, we are looking forward to going back soon.
Thank you! David & Tricia
Dave and Tricia, Lake Oswego
I wanted to just send you a little note thanking you for being so great to work with on our vacation. We had an absolute blast! It was everything you said it would be and you delivered on all your promises too. That is VERY important these days. Our next vacation is going to be somewhere in the Caribbean so if you can facilitate that, we would love to go through you again. Also, we would entertain a cruise there as well.
Michelle F., Oregon