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
Thanks Bob we had a wonderful vacation in your villa. We caught a 150 lb. tuna on the ninja and had some exquisite meals here at the villa. Deanna #1 thank you from our hears! Much Luck, Art and Deanna Phoenix AZ 2009
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
Villa La Estancia - #1303
Just a note to thank you so much for all of your recommendations regarding our trip to Cabo. I can't tell you how happy and impressed we were with our accommodations. What a beautiful place!!! We couldn't have asked for a more perfect vacation - everything about our trip was first class. Your suggestion about taking a private taxi to and from the hotel was very much appreciated. Our day trip on La Gringa was probably the highlight of our trip. We decided to take a private tour with our group of 7 - probably more expensive but worth every dime. Jose Luis did a fantastic job on lunch, and Arturo and Miguel (Captain and First Mate) were the best in seeing that we were well taken care of. Again, thank you for a wonderful vacation. Will definitely keep you in mind for a future trip to Cabo.
Maria Pastor, Baton Rouge LA
We are back home now, but wanted to send you a little note. The Suite we had at Villa Del Arco, was amazing. We did get our ocean view, and the view of lands end (until the cruise ship showed up). Purchasing the transportation package was also so enjoyable, our first driver was so awesome and very informative we tried the restaraunt he suggested which was amazing, maybe you could add it to your list. Maria Corona is the name, the pork shanks were out of this world delicious.
Thank you again Bob, our next trip to mexico will be booked through your company.
Julie Davis, 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
Everything was flawless. The car service is excellent, Villa Del Arco was great as always. Can't wait to go back.
Mark S., Cabo
I think you saved our trip! It was our 5 year anniversary and we really wanted to make it special. We had already reserved accomadations years ago at another Cabo resort and were finally cashing it in. To say the least they were below our expectations. To be honest our first few days there we didn't understand why anyone would go to Cabo. It was just our location I think and that we weren't in the type of accomdation we had expected.
Low and behold fate intervened and we toured the Villas Palmar and Villa del Arco and we were impressed. That is what we had expected and once we saw it we couldn't settle. We called you Bob and you made it happen. I cannot believe how excited we were. Even with our other room already paid for we were willing to relocate to have a real vacation. Maid service, a wonderful comfortable bed, windows that kept out noise, and a beautiful view of the ocean.
Thank you for saving our anniversary and our vacation.
The Villas-This is a spectacular resort complex. Yes, Palmar is the oldest and has a bit of a dated feel, but it is still a beautiful resort and location. We loved the Bella California Italian restaurant, Yimmy and Victor really took care of our last night celebration. They even knew it was our anniversary and they brought out a special plate with delicious Tiramisu and written in Chocolate Happy Anniversary. It was very sweet and romantic. They even dimmed the lights when we asked. We felt very well taken care of.
Our room was in the newer hotel Del Arco and it was fabulous. We had a wonderful deck, where we had our breakfasts, thanks to room service. Fresh fruit and the green juice and the sound of the waves. The room was well decorated and spacious. We enjoyed the inroom washer and dryer and will definately make use of that when we come back. We can pack lighter and have more room for souvenirs.
I loved the pools, the cash free aspect of the hotel, the pirate ship and of course the easy ocean access. The view of the rocks of Lands' End and Lovers Beach was worth. We only made it for one sunrise, but we vow to make it a priority next visit. Beautiful all the way around, 5 star service, and relaxing.
You really outdid yourself and we would love to book again next year. Please let me know how early we can book and get the best deals for next summer. We would love to know how we can choose a room at Villa del Arco that has both a sunrise and sunset view and has two rooms. Let me know if you can help us.
Sincerely,
V. Hager
V. Hager, Idaho
Hi Bob! We had a fantastic trip to Cabo. We have traveled to Cabo several times but I feel like we enjoyed this trip a lot more simply because we saved SO much money on our accommodations. The resort was wonderful. Very nice-and very clean. We enjoyed every aspect of Villa Del Arco. Thank you so much for your services!!!!
Kim B., LA
Thanks for everything. I've been to Cabo many times but this was one of our best vacations. Villa Del Arco was great - gorgeous accommodations, friendly staff, and great food. Transportation was easy. I also appreciated you working with me on very late notice to set up our ride. I will be in touch regarding future vacations.
M. Riley, Seattle, WA
We had a great time. Meeting up with 12 of our far-flung friends was a real treat. The price was very reasonable for the quality of room and food we enjoyed there. The social scene around the pool was lots of fun, and is probably the biggest reason we would consider coming back to Villa Del Arco.
Dan, Ohio