Cabo San Lucas

Why go

Cabo San Lucas is a billfish town. The tourism board says more marlin and swordfish are caught off Los Cabos than anywhere else in the world, and the charter fleet, tournaments and docks are built around that fact. If marlin are the goal, few trips are easier to plan.

The location is the reason. Cabo sits at the very tip of the Baja California peninsula, with the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Sea of Cortez on the other. Both are rich waters with inshore and offshore fishing, so the fleet has options when one side is rough or slow.

Cabo also suits mixed groups. Whale watching, snorkeling and beaches fill the non-fishing days, and many resorts offer packages that set up a fishing outing for the angler in the family.

The fishing

What you fish for

Offshore: striped, blue and black marlin; sailfish; yellowfin tuna; dorado (mahi-mahi); and wahoo. Sharks such as hammerheads, threshers and makos turn up in winter and spring.

Inshore and bottom: roosterfish, jacks, grouper and snapper around rock piles and reefs along the coast. Light-tackle trips work the rocky shoreline of the Sea of Cortez.

The mix is broad. One large Cabo fleet’s annual catch summaries show billfish, dorado and tuna each making up a big share of the fish caught, with wahoo, snapper, grouper, sierra mackerel and roosterfish rounding out the rest.

How the seasons work

Sport fishing runs all year, and the Sea of Cortez has no real low season for offshore anglers. What changes is the target:

• November to March: striped marlin season, the classic winter fishery.
• July to October: blue and black marlin. In peak season, boats can average several marlin a day.
• July to November: dorado.
• Late summer and early fall: wahoo and sailfish, when the water is warmest.
• September to January: yellowfin tuna.
• Year-round: roosterfish, jacks, grouper and snapper.

The tourism board rates fall and winter as excellent for all-around action. For a month-by-month look at billfish timing, see our Cabo marlin season guide.

These are broad patterns. Water temperature, bait and weather shift the fishing from year to year, so check recent reports before you lock in dates.

Tournament season

Cabo’s tournament calendar follows the fish. The Stars and Stripes tournament is held in June. Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore runs from Buenavista in midsummer. October is the main event: the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament, then Bisbee’s Black and Blue in the second half of the month, with payouts that can exceed 3.5 million dollars. A tuna tournament, staged from Land’s End, follows in November. If you want to watch rather than fish, dockside weigh-ins are open to visitors. If you want to fish that week, book early.

Catch and release

Catch and release is the general rule for billfish in Los Cabos. Some fleets go further: Pisces Sportfishing says it was the first fleet in Mexico to switch to circle hooks for live-bait fishing to reduce marlin deaths, and it runs a tagging program so anglers can track released fish. Table fish such as dorado and tuna can generally be kept within Mexico’s limits. Ask your crew what you can take home.

Where to fish

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas is home to the IGY Marina, where tournament boats bring their fish to the docks before the walk to the waterfront weigh-in. Dockside weigh-ins are open to visitors, which makes October an interesting time to be in town even if you are not fishing.

Pacific side and Sea of Cortez side

Both coasts support inshore and offshore fishing. The Sea of Cortez side is where light-tackle trips work the rocky shoreline, and its offshore fishing has no real low season. Ask your captain which side they plan to fish and why.

The East Cape

The East Cape is the coastline running from San José del Cabo north to Cabo Pulmo National Park. Offshore, anglers catch grouper, marlin, sailfish, dorado and tuna, some within about five miles of shore. From the beach, the targets are roosterfish and jack crevalle. Bisbee’s runs its East Cape Offshore tournament from Buenavista in the summer. Los Barriles is known for windsurfing and Cabo Pulmo for snorkeling.

Charters and guides

Cabo has a large charter fleet. One of the biggest, Pisces Sportfishing, sorts its cruisers into standard, midsize, large and luxury classes. Deep-sea charters supply tackle, and packages typically include the fishing license, bait and equipment. Some include lunch and drinks on half-day and full-day trips. Many resorts can also set up a fishing day for you.

Questions to ask when you book:

• Is the license included, and is it for every angler on board?
• How big is the boat, and how many people does it fish?
• Will the trip fish the Pacific or the Sea of Cortez side, and how far is the run?
• What is the billfish policy (release, tagging, circle hooks), and what can you keep?
• Are live bait and fish cleaning included?

We do not quote prices, since they change with boat size, season and trip length. Our guide to choosing a fishing charter has more.

Where to stay

Stay in Cabo San Lucas if fishing is the focus, since the marina is in town. San José del Cabo is closer to the main airport. The East Cape suits travelers who want beach fishing for roosterfish and close-in offshore grounds, at the cost of a drive from the Cabo fleet. If you want an all-inclusive base, see our all-inclusive trip guide.

Beyond fishing

Humpback whales pass Los Cabos from December through April, with January to March the best months, and whale sharks are seen from November through April. Mobula rays gather from April through July. Cabo Pulmo National Park, a protected area on the East Cape, is a snorkeling and diving destination, with the best visibility usually from late summer into fall. Sea lions and dolphins are around all year.

Trip costs

Flights, lodging and charter days drive the cost. Operators serve both budget and luxury travelers. Late summer and early fall are the low season, with lower flight and hotel prices and fewer crowds, though that is also storm season. Check whether the fishing license is in your charter price before you budget for it separately.

Getting there and around

Most visitors fly into San José del Cabo International Airport (SJD), about a 23-mile drive from Cabo San Lucas. Several major airlines serve it. A smaller Cabo San Lucas International Airport (CSL) is about 8 km north of town.

The tourism board calls mid-May through September the storm season, and the official eastern Pacific hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30. That overlaps the blue marlin and dorado months, so check forecasts and consider travel insurance. See our trip safety and weather guide and traveling with fishing gear.

U.S. travelers should check the State Department’s Mexico page for current entry requirements and advisories before booking.

Licenses and rules

Mexico’s sport fishing permits and rules are set by CONAPESCA, the national fisheries commission. You need a license to fish from a boat. Charter packages typically include it, and it can also be bought at the marina, where lines can be long in peak season.

Limits, protected species and permit rules change. Confirm the current requirements with your charter and CONAPESCA before every trip. See our fishing licenses guide for general background.