MEXICO: Cabo San Lucas Offshore Fishing
Port of Call - Cabo San Lucas
With year round billfishing, great weather and even better night life, Mexico’s Cabo San Lucas is a ‘must visit’ destination for all traveling anglers. David Granville provides the insiders perspective.
Where Is Cabo San Lucas?
Cabo San Lucas, or Cabo as it is more affectionately known, is situated on the very tip of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. Fishing is conducted on both the Pacific side of the Peninsula and also in the Sea of Cortez meaning there is always a lee shore to fish.
With a fantastic harbour complete with the most modern facilities, Cabo is extremely popular with US anglers. In fact, many sportfishing boat owners leave their boats in Cabo for at least a few months every year during peak seasons.
What Is Cabo San Lucas Famous For?
Cabo is probably most famous for its big-money tournaments. The Bisbee’s Black & Blue tournament is without doubt the most famous event in Cabo which has now been running for 25 years. Bisbee’s would have to be one of the richest tournaments in the world. For example, in 2000, 239 boats competed for a prize purse of $2.4 million US. Cabo is also home to the Rolex IGFA Offshore Championship which is not a big money tournament but certainly considered one of the most prestigious gamefishing events in the world.
What Is The History Of Cabo San Lucas?
Cabo has always been a fishing town but it has grown dramatically in the last 20 years and it doesn’t look like stopping – indeed there are new hotels popping up all over the place. These days millions of Americans head to Cabo each year to soak up the sun and the party atmosphere.
The sportfishing industry is now an integral part of Cabo’s culture and a vibrant charter fleet ensures that many of those tourists get the opportunity to go gamefishing. Indeed, there would be literally hundreds of thousands of US anglers who caught their first gamefish in Cabo.
Targeted Species
There are two main fisheries in Cabo. One is the gamefishing fleet which comprises of gameboats from 28 to 50ft who target all species of billfish as well as the associated bycatch such as wahoo, mahi mahi and yellowfin tuna.
The other one is a fleet of pangas (longboats) who fish the surfbreak for Roosterfish. Both groups are very good at what they do, but like anywhere, it pays to shop around and check out the boats before you hand over your cash – as some operators are certainly more professional than others.
Striped marlin are certainly the most prolific of the billfish species and they can often be seen tailing on the surface. The most common method used to catch stripers in Cabo is to cast unweighted livebaits at the tailing fishing. This is a very visual and exciting way to fish. Big blacks, blues, sails and even the occasional swordfish are also targeted in Cabo during peak seasons. Blues are mainly caught on lures while the big blacks usually can’t resist a live tuna.
Getting To Cabo San Lucas
You can fly to Los Angeles daily from Sydney and Brisbane. From LA it’s a two hour flight to Los Cabos. From Los Cabos airport it’s a 40 minute drive to Cabo San Lucas. There are many hotels and restaurants within walking distance of the marina.