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
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
Thank you so much! I had a great time in Cabo and the resort was beautiful. It was extremely relaxing, the staff was very kind to me. I would love to go back, Juan the hotel manager was very accommodating and so helpful at check in and throughout my whole stay. Gisela at the spa took excellent care of me daily!! Francisco and Manuel the bellman where regularly as helpful, the housekeeper Sandra was awesome. The information you provided prior to my arrival was a great help, and made my entrance into Mexico very smooth, knowing what to expect prior was wonderful. The transportation information in which you gave me was used and went smoothly. This was all so important for I was traveling alone. Thank you for everything.
Hope Andrews, Florida
Thanks for taking the time to come to La Gringa marina to meet us before our sunset cruise! We had a wonderful time in Cabo with our family. The penthouse suite at Villa Del Arco was beautiful. We had our New Years Eve dinner there, steaks on the grill and could see the fireworks from our room. It was great to have a hot tub right there. We ate most of our lunches at the Buccaneer and went into town for dinner. Your recommendations were helpful. The kids enjoyed the kayaks and jet skis. We appreciate all your help in arranging transfers and the sunset cruise. It was a very enjoyable trip for our family. Hope to see you again sometime.
Nancy S., Pennsylvania
Thank you for your assistance with our last minute reservation to Cabo. We have stayed many times at Villa Del Palmar, and this time was just a great as every other visit. We appreciated the quick response and good price and everything was arranged just as reserved. I had never stayed in a studio here before, and was pleasantly surprised at the size of the room and especially the full size kitchen. Much more comfortable than studios at other resorts that I have been to. My daughter and I had a great time! Thanks again, and I have already recommended you to my sister. Susan
Susan C., Sammamish, WA
Hi Bob, the trip was great. The resort gave us a free upgrade to a suite with a full kitchen and separate master bedroom. And the back patio was huge and we had a hot tub in the backyard area. It was incredible. We never sat through any sales pitches. Just had a great time. Thanks for everything. Melynda
Melynda, Austin, TX
Thank you for all of your help, insight and most of all, your willingness to bend over backwards for your customers (us). You and your wife are truly a testament to customer service, and I hope I can at least provide you with future customers to show my gratitude.
Jason and Elizabeth McCoy, Dallas Texas
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
Wonderful trip. Transportation, hotel, room, service, restaurants, ocean all fine. La Perla and El Faro were exceptional! Thanks for your assistance in setting up the trip!
Ken L., Fort Collins, CO
The resort was great. I did read about unfriendly staff when checking in, and was prepared for that to happen. It never did happen. Everyone at del arco was helpful, friendly, and pleasant. Thank you for a wonderful vacation.
Greg Gursey