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
The Villa del Palmar was lovely, and we had a wonderful room overlooking the ocean. Thank you again for your graciousness and attention to detail. We will contact you the next time we take a vacation.
Melanie Marshall, Sunnyvale California
It was a wonderful trip Bob, made better by the quality of the resort and all aspects of the service from booking the trip through to landing back home.
We won't hesitate to turn to you again in the future.
A few things I thought worthy of comment:
-The vendors on the beach were as pervasive as ants at a picnic, but without exception were polite and deferred to a restated no, thank you.
-Service everywhere, on property and off, was excellent, with the occasional slowness I hope people would expect of a vacation destination.
-The food at La Perla and poolside was very good.
-The food at the Italian restaurant at La Palmar was okay, but not worth the walk from VDA.
-I wish the resort had informed us that the Japanese restaurant was closed on Thursday.
-People should be encouraged to take the drive to Todos Los Santos, if they have a car. The drive is desert pretty, but very much under construction. The town, once you get there, is beautiful and worth the investment of the drive. Early evening dinner in the courtyard at the Hotel California was fabulous.
-The Office restaurant is a must do. Much better in the evening, but good for lunch too.
-Really enjoyed the food at Pancho's. Didn't need any of the 575 tequilas, but loved the frozen coconut ice cream dessert.
-Costco is, down to every detail, a pure execution of an American Costco store.
-Walmart is a true Mexican adaption based of the Walmart theme.
-For good tennis (courts, pros and staff), you can't beat Palmilla Tennis. Its a hike from VDA, but if you have competitive players with you who need the workout, it's a good place to go.
-One thing I noticed, maybe due to my lack of Spanish language skills, was that I had a very hard time determining addresses for things. Asking Google Maps for directions without them, is hard.
Again, we loved it and we'll keep going back. Thanks for your help Bob.
Marty, Washington
Great place..the ride was there, the place is beautiful and super clean and every thing else is top notch. The girls were impressed and the bed is big and very comfortable..you spoke the truth. And the view from the room is just about the best in the house.Only the penthouse might have been better.
Hi Bob. I have put reviews on trip advisor but wanted to contact you directly too.. The tour on La Gringa was outstanding! The crew was an asset to Jose, the local coordinator & Destination Vacations. By booking through you this has been an affordable holiday for my family. It takes over 24hrs to get to Mexico from Australia so expectations were high, & meet!! Thank you
Shona Fairleigh, Australia
We had an amazing time, AGAIN! The villa was very clean when we arrived and besides the phone issue...trust me, I did not want to make any calls, everything worked great and was in tip top condition. The kitchen is very well stocked with everything you would need to make a gourmet meal. Everyone is extremely friendly there at Estancia and even remembered my name down by the pool. Looking forward to Thanksgiving next year!
Todd P., Seattle
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
Great job! The accommodations were spectacular and the welcome basket a nice touch. We had special turn down service each night and one night there was a complimentary bubble bath turn down service. Everyone at Los Arcos was wonderful and the entire trip went off without a hitch! Thank you again.
Steve K., Mukilteo, WA
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
What a great trip! We absolutely loved Cabo. It was our first trip to Mexico and we weren't sure what to expect. Thankfully you had sent Destination Vacations Welcomes You To Cabo download. It was amazingly helpful to us in planning transportation, shopping and activities. Our transportation through Transpacifico was seamless including a planned stop at Costco! Our room at Villa Estancia was gorgeous and spacious. Our three daughters 18,15 and 10 had plenty of space to change their bathing suits hundreds of times without running into each other. We loved the pool, swim up bar and beautiful beach. The water was cooler than we had expected but it didn't stop our girls from playing and swimming in the waves. We loved the Villa Del Palmar Fiesta with the dancing and Mexican buffet. With so many activities to choose from, we have to plan another vacation back to Cabo. Maybe next time without the kids!
Thanks again for your prompt response and helpful information,
Lynne
Lynne K., Chanhassen, MN
Thank you so much for such an easy and worry free vacation on such short notice. The villa was beautiful and very comfortable. The additional amenities (USA phoneline & internet access with computer) kept us very accessible to all of our work responsibilities.
Transportation was also effortless and ran exactly as planned.
We had such a wonderful time and would have liked to stayed longer. The only thing we wish we could have organized in advance is grocery shopping and to have the groceries in the villa when we arrived.
Thanks again,
Shelley
Shelly , Denver