Cabo Sport Fishing Is A Must

Cabo Sport Fishing is a must, in Cabo not only find the three classes of Marlin which are Striped, Black and Blue, also but the pelagic waters also attract Tuna, Wahoo, dorado (mahi mahi /dolphin fish), Swordfish, Yellowtail, Snapper, Cabrilla, Corvina and Roosterfish. These species are found practically all year, though there are peak seasons for certain fish; check out our fishing calendar for best months to fish for your target.

So far, we’ve spoken of Los Cabos as a single point on the map, but it’s actually a municipality. Los Cabos includes Cabo San Lucas, San Jose del Cabo and East Cape (Cabo del Este). The latter is just a couple of hours from Los Cabos, near the Tropic of Cancer, and includes places like Punta Colorada, Los Barriles, Buena Vista, Cabo Pulmo, and Los Frailes, where sport fishing is a special attraction.

San Lucas and San José offer first class marinas but the East Cape without one is also an excellent place to enjoy the sport is “an old slice of Baja magic”. There are over 500 fishing boats waiting to take you to the deep blue ocean where 12,000 game fish are caught and released every year.

Baja California Sur Has It All

Baja California Sur is blessed with plenty of natural beauty; just look the spectacle of nature where the Sea of Cortez is joined with the Pacific Ocean. The BajaPeninsula has it all: desert, miles and miles of beautiful and different exotic beaches, mountains, islands, and many others natural wonders. All those of this beautiful scenery invites you to practice sports and eco-tourism adventures like camping, snorkeling, diving, surf, windsurfing, kayaking, stand up paddleing, and of course first class fishing.

The Sea of Cortez is considered the “Aquarium of the World” due its marine biodiversity. Over 3,000 exotic species like yellow and hammer sharks, marine lions, whales, whale sharks, dolphins and giant blankets reside amongst hundreds of species of coralline reefs. The wildlife and the friendly locals, thriving nightlife, tasty restaurants, architecture and direct flights from USA and Canada make Baja California Sur a must-see destination.

Passion for Fishing

We know that fishing is just a hobby for some, but for others it is almost a way of life, a deep connection with nature, a way to bond with family and friends. Fishing is a celebration of life, a love of adventure and adrenaline, and respect for the great moments and anecdotes that can only come from a day spent on the water. Every year, hundreds of passionate anglers return to Los Cabos and the fishing community welcomes them and give their best to have them back. Los Cabos hosts several fishing tournaments, the most renowned for their antiquity and awards including: Annual Rancho Leonero Yellowtail Tournament in the month of March (East Cape), Stars and Stripes Fishing and Golf Tournament in June, The Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin, East Cape Offshore, Los Cabos Offshore, and Los Cabos Billfish Tournament which are carried out in the month October. In November the Los Cabos Big Game Charter Boat Classic and Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot are held. There are also local tournaments held throughout the year, open to the general public. We will be posting the local tournaments in the Baja that are within “SERIAL SEPESCA” (State Secretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture) which usually begins with the “Fiestas Tradicionales de San José tournament” in March, departing from Puerto Los Cabos Marine in San Jose.

Types of Fishing at Cabo

Anglers in Los Cabos can find everything from Surf fishing to Offshore fishing. Thousands of miles of coastline and open sea at Cabo make possible to find the best fishing spots for all purposes.

Deepsea Fishing or Offshore Fishing?

Generally Deepsea, Offshore  Big Game even Sport fishing are the same thing, although the water depth should be at least 30 meters to be considered deep sea fishing. Deepsea or Offshore fishing involves fishing on the open ocean, though some argue that Offshore usually takes place a short distance from the shore  but both are recognized as a form of recreational fishing. Both also target big game fish like tuna, marlin, dorado and wahoo.

If you are a new angler, it may require a larger time commitment as you learn the proper terminology. Differentiating between the Deepsea fishing and Bottom fishing, for example, is a word choice problem. Fish live at different depths depending on the species; sometimes fish can be found on the ocean floor, so you need to put your bait down there in order to bottom fish. The bait or lure can be drifted with a weight (a downrigger) on the line, making it drop down rapidly, at which point the lures are left there while the boat is stationary until something bites.

We can explain the difference with an example: 28 miles from the Cabo San Lucas marina is The Golden Gate bank and fishing there is considered deep sea fishing. This bank is known to be a good place to fish for marlin (usually done with the art of trolling which we will discuss shortly). However, if the Captain or the crew are craving ceviche, so they’ll use bottom fishing to catch snapper or grouper. Speaking of food, we encourage catch and release of the billfish; of course, if you love a good fish dish like we do, we recommend sierra, dorado, and tuna – they’re delicious! There are many restaurants in Los Cabos and East Cape which gladly cook your catch.

An average of 80 fishing charters depart from Los Cabos marine every morning at 7 AM. We can provide you with a list of the safest rental fleets, those with the most experience and the best captains. You’ll find everything from super pangas (tuning pangas) to luxury yachts – so there’s never an excuse for not experiencing the ocean!

Every day at sea is different, every sunrise is different and the color and the movement of the water is different too, fish are others, fighting is sometimes simple sometimes exhausting but always exciting. We invite you to book your boat and you also enjoy fishing as Cabo Fishing Lovers do.

Surf Fishing

As with others types of fishing the surfishing, also known as surfcasting or inshore fishing, is truly an art. Los Cabos is one of the best surfishing spots in the world! It requires the fisher to cast from the shoreline into the sea and generally refers to any type of shore fishing regardless of the type (sandy or rocky beaches, jetties, breakwaters piers, etc.). Surf fishing can be done with lures or live bait on a heavy-duty tackle. Most anglers prefer a long surfcasting rod (12 foot) matched with a spinning reel. In this beautiful sport, it’s just you, a friend, and the vast sea. We recommend fishing with a trusting friend as the waves can be treacherous. Never turn your back – walk forward as far as it is safe, cast your line, and walk backward.

Where to Surf-Fish at Cabo

Almost anywhere on the Pacific side is good for surf fishing. The beaches at Solmar and Finisterra are especially good points; the locals also visit desalination plant beach to which you arrive going on the road to the Diamante golf course on the road to Todos Santos, to reach a few more miles to the north is Migriño beach where you can also try. There’s great surf fishing just steps from the hotels in East Cape and Los Frailes.

Wanna Fish? Look for Birds!

A fisherman, regardless of the type, learn how to read nature’s signs. For example, if you spot some dolphins then tuna are’nt far away! These two species often swim in the same areas. Another bit of advice – if you see seagulls scooping up baitfish, then there are larger fish lurking beneath them.

Surf Fishing Species

One of the most common surf fishing targets is the Roosterfish (pez gallo), which averages between 15 to 30 pounds but can grow as large as 100 pounds. But you can also fight Amberjack (Pez Fuerte), Sierra, Cabrilla, Snapper, Grouper, Yellowtail, Jack Crevalle (do not eat this) Sharks and even Dorado.

Fly Fishing

The Art of Fishing involves an artificial bait called Fly. It’s made with feathers, thread, wire or animal hair, and they’re made to look like bugs or baby bait fish. Most people think of fly fishing as a sport that only takes place in freshwater streams and lakes looking for trout and salmon, but you can also enjoy great fly fishing in salt water. Fly fishing generally requires the fisherman to stand in the water, so master casting techniques are a must! Also, the fly has almost no weight – in order to cast the line, the weight is distributed in a special line designed specifically for this fishing style. Casting the fly requires a special technique which can actually be done from the beach (surf fishing), inshore and offshore. You can catch roosterfish, Jack Crevalle, Pompano, Lady fish, Sierra, Pargo and others from the beach and inshore. Inshore fishermen usually cast from pangas or super pangas while offshore fishing is reserved for super pangas or larger cruisers. Offshore fly fishing targets include tuna, dorado, wahoo and of course, billfish.

Billfish on the Fly

Billfish fly fishing is relatively new, its beginnings are attributed to Dr. Webster Robinson who developed the “tease and switch” ( or ‘teasing’) technique back in 1962, inPanama. This technique is not easy; few anglers master it. It requires trolling bait or lures without hooks. Always pay attention in order to prevent the bite when the fish first appears. When this happens, you have to bring the fish into your fly casting area. Once there, the bait is pulled out using a rapid and vertical movement of the rod, which casts the fly in order to make the fish believe it is the same thing as pursuing. At this point, the fish is very excited or angry, so the fly must be cast to the right spot in the first shot; if this fails the fish may lose interest and swim away.

It’s important to follow the IGFA rules which state the following: “the craft must be completely out of gear at the time the fly is presented to the fish and during the retrieve.” In other words, the engine must be in neutral position or stopped , that means that the boat must be out of gear before the angler casts their line, otherwise they would be trolling the fly, not fly casting.

There are several fly fishing specialists in Baja California Sur. Check out Baja Anglers and Fiesta Sportfishing in Los Cabos and The Reel Baja in East Cape.

Tackle Shops in Los Cabos

As you probably know, the local tackle shop is one of the best places to discover where and what the fish are biting. They can also help you choose the appropriate tackle and tell you about the best fishing spots in the area. If you’re looking for a surf-fishing guide, look no further than Wesley Brough ([email protected] or cabosurfcaster on Facebook). He’s a young American expert living and fishing full time in Cabo San Lucas. For inshore tackle and gear, visit Stephen Jansen (www.jansen.mx) at Jansen Inshore Tackle. Jansen has his own line of products, including the famous “Cabo Killer” lure.

Another great source for fishing tackle gear is Minerva’s Baja Tackle. There you’ll find surf and inshore/offshore fishing tackle gear along with maintenance services including the repair of lines, rods, and reels. Minerva´s shop is in downtown Cabo San Lucas but you can find more information on minervas.com. There’s also a new place where you can get some good tackle – it’s called  Baja Surfishing Los Cabos. These guys are locals so they can advise you best! Their shop is located at the Plaza Sendero mall (road to Todos Santos).

Fishing Methods while Boating

Want a Marlin? Trolling is the Answer

For those unfamiliar with trolling, this technique requires the fisherman to drop trolling lures or bait into the water from different positions over the side or behind the boat. Then they let out their line and drive the cruise forward slowly (common lure trolling speeds will vary from 6 to 12 knots), pulling or ‘trolling’ the lures to make them look like real and delicious baitfish. Sometimes the lure, spoon or live bait is cast to a predetermined distance and pulled back at various speeds/depths; some have a weight on the line to keep them at a certain depth. Trolling is certainly one of the most popular fishing methods for catching billfish, dorado, and tuna in Cabo and the world. Some anglers “tease,” attracting billfish with lures or hookless teasers. Once the billfish is closer to the surface and the boat is in a good position (then we’ll talk about the importance of a good captain and crew) , the angler casts a live bait (with hook) to catch the fish. It’s worth mentioning that the catch should always consider the health of the fish; take care while positioning the vessel and when choosing your hook type in order to experience a successful release.

You don’t have to wait to get offshore to start fishing – in Los Cabos, you can be trolling small flies to fish sierras on your journey to the open sea.

Jigging

Despite its recent popularity, fishing jigging is an ancient technique with origins in Japan and Polynesia using artificial lures. This technique takes its name from the type of lure used, the “jig” which consists of a molded hook, usually made of lead and shaped to look like a fish

Also known as vertical jigging, this method requires you to pop the rod tip fast in order to move the jig vertically. The jigs are designed to recreate the movement of a fish going toward the surface, creating the look of an injured and inviting baitfish waiting to be eaten by a bigger fish. The technique lets the jig reach the bottom of the sea, then raises it upward using erratic movements of your rod. Usually you can jig up and down (vertically) as you drift or drop the lure and jig it back horizontally while reeling. There is no jigging rhythm but you should experiment with different sequences to find what works best; of course, this will depend on the type of fish and their eating habits as well as the ocean currents.

This technique has several advantages: you can catch different species and it’s cheaper than trolling because you can do it without running the engine or while you drift.

Bottom Fishing

As mentioned above, bottom fishing involves drifted live bait or lures  with a weight on your line to keep it near the bottom or suspended with a bobber or cork. It can be done from 30 to 40 miles off the coast over live bottom, ledges and reefs. The most classic bottom fish are the grouper and snapper the Gordo Banks (about 10 miles to La Playita in San José del Cabo) are home to these fish and more! Like jigging or fly fishing, this technique is active and can be done while drifting, from a small boat or from a super panga.

There are plenty of excellent sport fishing guides who can make your trip both fun and safe. Almost every charter company can accommodate the type of fishing you want, only just let us know which you’d like to try.