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
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 had a great trip, accommodations were very nice. I think the only complaint I heard from a few of the gals on the trip was that it would be nice to have a full length mirror in their condo to check out their evening attire from head to toe. You know how girls are. Anyway, nothing but rave reviews, I would definitely recommend your company to anyone.
Aron M., Chicago, IL
Our family of 6 had a wonderful time at gorgeous Villa Del Arco. I was very impressed by Destination Cabo. In particular, Bob was very informative and patient with all my questions. He secured us a great room at a great price, and he took care of all the details, making the trip planning much easier for me. It's very difficult to find accommodations in which our family can be together without having to book 2 separate rooms, so this hotel is a gem to me. It was a pleasure doing business.
This is the first vacation ever, that I was not ready to end, and I cannot wait to return. Thank you Bob and thank you Villa Del Arco, for an outstanding vacation.
Sincerely,
JoAnn O.
Chicago
JoAnn O., Chicago
We had great time and fell in love with the resort and the area. All resort personnel we dealt with was very courteous and attentive. The accommodations were worth every penny, thanks to you. We are definitely looking to go back there, perhaps, March or April of 2015.
Irina S., Staten Island, NY
Bob,
What a terrific place...Luis moved us to Villa Estancia (I'm sure due to your relationship here!!) and it's a gorgeous 2 BR (w/ wonderful views and just perfect)!! All you have suggested has been "spot-on"--and our trip has just begun...now on our way downtown, might get sidetracked by some seaside bars/eateries... Again, many thanx...this is looking like a wonderful choice--and I'm glad to have your help!!
Best,
Michael
Bob,
Everything was exactly as you promoted. I was happy with the accommodations and your service. I especially appreciated the planning/tip information you sent to me.
Thank you!
Maria
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
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
Just want to tell you what a spectacular time we had in Cabo!
Highlights were fishing -we each caught a 30-40 pound tuna! - with Pocho's charters. (Highly recommend them.) They prepared dinner at Pocho's restaurant that night- sashimi and grilled tuna. Wonderful.
We also had dinner at Pedregal- Capella- what an amazing dining setting!
We also sailed on the America's cup racing boats one afternoon.
Weather was fantastic. The Villa was SOOO nice!
Thank you for helping make all this possible. We would definitely consider doing it again!
Wendy Kent, Portland Oregon
Just a brief note to tell you we LOVED our Cabo vacation. The place was better than we expected. The only thing it was missing was a hanging clock in the kitchen area! All your info about things to do, places to eat, etc was quite useful.
Debra B, Raliegh, NC