All three are winter billfish trips, but they are good at different things. Pick Costa Rica’s Pacific coast if billfish are the whole point and you want the deepest season. Pick Cabo San Lucas if you want striped marlin and an easy resort trip. Pick the Florida Keys if you want winter sailfish without a passport, plus reef, wreck and backcountry fishing on the days the wind blows.
The table above lays out each destination’s seasons, costs and logistics. Here is how we would choose.
The short answer
- Most billfish focus: Costa Rica. Sailfish are the core offshore catch from December into June, marlin are fished year-round, and Los Sueños calls December through June its peak billfish season.
- Striped marlin: Cabo. Stripers are the winter marlin there, from November through March.
- Variety and short travel: the Florida Keys. Sailfish peak from November through March, and the same winter calendar rates kingfish, wahoo, blackfin tuna, grouper and redfish as peak.
By month
November and December. The Keys come into their best sailfish months, and Islamorada’s run of sailfish tournaments starts in December. In Cabo, striped marlin begin in November, and yellowfin tuna are still around through January. Costa Rica’s dry season and its peak billfish window both start in December.
January through March. All three overlap here. The Keys rate January through March as peak for sailfish, and Cabo’s striped marlin season runs to the end of March. Costa Rica’s Central Pacific billfish tournament calendar runs from January into April, which tells you when the local fleets expect their best fishing.
April and later. Keys sailfish fall off the peak list after March and drop out of the calendar after May, while Cabo’s stripers are done after March. Costa Rica keeps going: its peak billfish season runs through June. If your dates slide into spring, Costa Rica is the safer billfish bet of the three.
By budget
All three carry our premium cost profile, for different reasons. Cabo and Costa Rica start with an international flight and then lean on charter fishing out of developed marinas, and in Costa Rica overnight and long-range trips add more. The Keys skip the international flight, but most of the fishing is done with a hired guide or charter boat and resort lodging adds up.
If you want to stretch the money, the Keys give you the most low-cost fallback days: party boats and bridges open to fishing. Our charter cost guide and budget calculator help you put numbers on it.
By travel time
The Keys are the easiest for most U.S. anglers: fly into Miami or Fort Lauderdale and drive the Overseas Highway, or fly straight into Key West. No customs on the way home.
Cabo is a straightforward international trip. San José del Cabo International is about 23 miles from Cabo San Lucas, and a second airport sits about 8 km north of town.
Costa Rica takes the most planning. Juan Santamaría near San José is about an hour from many Central Pacific ports, and Quepos is roughly three hours by road. Liberia’s airport serves Guanacaste, and domestic flights reach the South Pacific.
By party
Couples and mixed groups. Cabo and Costa Rica both pair fishing with resort or rainforest time. Los Sueños is built around a resort near the San José airport, and Quepos sits next to Manuel Antonio National Park.
Families. All three rate good for families. Half-day trips and shore options suit younger kids, and the long offshore runs are better for older kids and adults. The Keys add snorkeling, a sea turtle hospital and resort kids’ programs. See fishing with kids before you book a full offshore day.
Groups of serious anglers. Costa Rica, for the length of its billfish season and the option of overnight trips.
By fishing style
Release-only billfishing. At Costa Rica’s Central Pacific marinas, sailfish and marlin are fished as release fish. In Cabo, catch and release is the general rule for billfish. If you want to keep dinner, dorado, tuna and other table fish can usually be kept within limits; ask your captain.
A billfish day plus other fishing. The Keys win. Flats, backcountry, reef and offshore are all within reach of one road, so a windy day can become a backcountry redfish trip or a reef day for snapper.
Fly fishing. Of the three, Costa Rica and the Keys list fly fishing among their styles. In Costa Rica, inshore roosterfish on fly are a dry-season option out of Quepos. Ask in advance if you want a captain set up for it.
Before you book
- Read our charter guide and ask how long the run is to the fish.
- Check the license: FWC in Florida, CONAPESCA in Mexico, INCOPESCA in Costa Rica. Our licenses guide explains how charter coverage works.
- Leave a spare day for weather. Winter fronts can cancel offshore trips even outside hurricane season.
- Read the destination pages for the Florida Keys, Cabo San Lucas and Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, and our species pages for sailfish and marlin.
Seasons are broad patterns, not promises. Fish move with water temperature and bait, so ask your captain how the bite has been running in the weeks before you go.
The full guides
Florida Keys
The Florida Keys put flats, backcountry, reef and offshore fishing within a short run of each other. Tarpon and permit in spring and summer, sailfish in winter, mahi in summer, and snapper all year, with charters in every town from Key Largo to Key West.
- Tarpon
- Bonefish
- Permit
- Sailfish
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas sits at the tip of the Baja peninsula with the Pacific on one side and the Sea of Cortez on the other. Striped marlin peak in winter, blue and black marlin in summer and fall, and October brings the big billfish tournaments.
- Marlin
- Mahi-mahi
- Tuna
- Wahoo
Costa Rica Pacific Coast
Costa Rica's Pacific coast runs from Guanacaste through the Central Pacific marinas at Quepos and Los Sueños to Golfito in the south. Sailfish and marlin are the draw, with roosterfish, dorado, tuna and snapper closer in. December to April is the dry season.
- Marlin
- Sailfish
- Roosterfish
- Mahi-mahi
Frequently asked questions
Which is best for sailfish in winter?
For a trip built around sailfish, Costa Rica's Central Pacific is the strongest of the three: sailfish are the core offshore catch from December into June, and Los Sueños calls December through June its peak billfish season. The Florida Keys rate November through March as peak sailfish months. Cabo's sailfish are a late summer and early fall fish, so they are not a winter target there.
Where should I go for striped marlin in winter?
Cabo San Lucas. Striped marlin are the winter billfish there, targeted from November through March. Costa Rica also fishes marlin year-round, with its peak from December through June, while marlin in the Keys are a summer bonus rather than a winter target.
Do I need a passport and a fishing license?
Cabo and Costa Rica are international trips, so plan on a passport. Cabo charter packages typically include the sport fishing license, Costa Rica requires an INCOPESCA sport fishing license that visitors apply for online, and in the Keys anglers on a licensed charter are generally covered by the boat's license. Rules change, so confirm with the agency and your captain before you go.
Is winter outside hurricane season for all three?
Yes. The Atlantic season, which covers the Keys, runs June 1 to November 30, and the eastern Pacific season, which covers Cabo and Costa Rica's Pacific coast, runs May 15 to November 30. December through April falls outside both, though winter fronts can still blow out offshore days.
Sources and fact-checking (13)
Facts checked against these sources on October 23, 2026. Seasons, rules and businesses change; confirm with the official source before you travel. How we research.
- Fishing Opportunity Calendar (Florida Keys & Key West) (visitfloridakeys.com)
- Florida Keys Fishing Tournaments (visitfloridakeys.com)
- Travel Information & How to Get to Florida Keys & Key West (visitfloridakeys.com)
- Saltwater Fishing Licenses, FWC (myfwc.com)
- Sport Fishing, Visit Los Cabos (visitloscabos.travel)
- Los Cabos Airports, Visit Los Cabos (visitloscabos.travel)
- CONAPESCA, Government of Mexico (gob.mx)
- Deep Sea Fishing, Los Sueños Resort and Marina (lossuenos.com)
- Climate, Visit Costa Rica (visitcostarica.com)
- Fishing, Visit Costa Rica (Costa Rica Tourism Board) (visitcostarica.com)
- Fishing in Costa Rica, Marina Pez Vela (marinapezvela.com)
- Carnés de pesca, INCOPESCA (incopesca.go.cr)
- Tropical Cyclone Climatology, National Hurricane Center (nhc.noaa.gov)
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