How to book a fishing charter in Los Cabos

Tourism successful Los Cabos was mostly built connected the area’s exceptional fishing. Although galore different attractions person been added during the 70 years since the first resorts appeared successful the 1950s — from upscale wining and eating to wellness spas and play — sportfishing remains the astir iconic section activity.

Hooking a marlin, for example, tin surely lend to a memorable vacation, but carnivore successful caput that the seasonal availability of assorted taxon is 1 of lone a twelve oregon much factors that should beryllium considered earlier booking a charter, astir each of which not lone interaction cost, but besides the prime of your experience.

Fishing boats of each shapes and sizes are successful nary abbreviated proviso successful Los Cabos. (Blue Sky Cabo)

For the payment of first-time visitors, oregon those who’ve yet to propulsion their enactment successful the section waters, here’s a usher to booking a section sportfishing charter. 

What factors substance astir erstwhile booking a Los Cabos sportfishing trip?

The 2 superior factors determining the outgo of sportfishing trips successful Los Cabos are the size of the vessel and the magnitude of the charter. The second is typically breached down into 2 categories, half-day and full-day, with half-day charters ranging from 4 to 5 hours and full-day ones lasting 8 hours.   

As for the boats, these travel successful a assortment of shapes and sizes. The simplest and cheapest to charter are what are termed pangas; essentially, open, outboard-motor-powered skiffs that are betwixt 22 feet and 27 feet successful length. The larger varieties are called ace pangas and whitethorn supply astatine slightest immoderate prima cover. Local companies with larger fleets typically diagnostic much accepted sportfishing boats ranging from 25 to 38 feet, with immoderate of the larger models featuring flybridges. 

The Los Cabos Tourism Board has helpfully provided america with a basal terms standard for 2025 based connected these factors:

• Half-day aboard a panga: $215-$350
• Half-day connected modular 25- to 28-foot sportfishing boat: $450-$850
• Full-day connected a 28- to 32-foot boat: $800-$1,350
• Full-day connected a luxury sportfishing vessel (38-feet oregon much with flybridge): $1,500-$2,500+

However, it’s important to enactment that these boats person antithetic capacities based connected their size. For instance, the panga tin transportation 2 to 3 people, boats successful the 25-foot to 32-foot scope from 4 to six, and larger boats up to eight. Obviously, this impacts the price, and larger boats with greater capableness and conveniences whitethorn not outgo overmuch much connected a per-person ground than smaller boats.

What’s included and what’s not?

Marlin, similar this striped variety, is the astir sought-after food successful Los Cabos. (Picante Sportfishing)

Also worthy noting is that not everything is needfully included successful the quoted prices. Most boats volition see a bilingual skipper and crew, rod and reels, and substance successful the basal “bare boat” outgo of a charter. However, items similar nutrient and drinks, unrecorded bait, and sportfishing licenses whitethorn oregon whitethorn not beryllium included depending connected the package, though they’re mostly disposable upon petition for an further cost. To debar misunderstandings, corroborate with your charter institution of prime what’s included and what’s not. 

Fishing licenses, of course, are mandatory by instrumentality for anyone going retired connected a sportfishing vessel successful Los Cabos, and outgo astir $20 per idiosyncratic per day. Something that’s ne'er included, but ever appreciated by the crew, are tips. The modular complaint is betwixt 10% and 20% of the full charter value, paid retired successful currency astatine the extremity of the charter. 

Where bash boats permission from?

Most sportfishing charters permission from the Cabo San Lucas Marina successful the Land’s End city, oregon from Puerto Los Cabos successful San José del Cabo. So whichever of these cities you’re vacationing in, determination are respected options to take from. The East Cape is simply a somewhat antithetic story, not due to the fact that the sportfishing isn’t world-class, but due to the fact that boats are apt to beryllium associated with idiosyncratic resorts and permission straight from their docks. For example, peculiar sportfishing and accommodation packages are disposable astatine hotels similar Palmas de Cortez, a Van Wormer spot successful Los Barriles, and prices for assorted boats are besides posted successful the lobby. 

How seasonal factors impact what you’re sportfishing for

Fishing is good year-round successful Los Cabos, but the taxon you’re astir apt to drawback tin vary. Black and bluish marlin, the astir sought-after section catches, are astir apt to beryllium caught betwixt July and October. That’s wherefore astir tournaments, including those with millions of dollars connected the enactment similar Bisbee’s Black and Blue, are scheduled during these months. It’s besides wherefore it’s a bully thought to publication your charters successful beforehand during this period. 

Striped marlin are mostly communal during the months that bluish and achromatic aren’t (November to May), truthful it’s imaginable to drawback a marlin adjacent if you don’t sojourn during precocious summertime oregon aboriginal fall, though it bears noting that lone 1 billfish similar marlin, sailfish oregon swordish per day, per angler whitethorn legally beryllium kept, and drawback and merchandise for these taxon is highly encouraged. Great nutrient food similar tuna, snapper, grouper, and dorado (as mahi-mahi is known successful Spanish) are besides rather common, with the sportfishing champion for the archetypal 2 betwixt July and December, and the second 2 betwixt March and June. 

What to bash with the food you catch?

Many restaurants successful Los Cabos connection hook and navigator specials, meaning they’ll navigator up the food you’ve caught to bid and service it with a fewer broadside dishes. Companies similar Gricelda’s Smoke House successful Cabo San Lucas volition process food — meaning fillet, freeze, and vacuum-seal — and whitethorn adjacent present it to your edifice for you. Hotels, meanwhile, volition mostly supply freezer abstraction for food you privation to bask aboriginal successful your trip, oregon instrumentality backmost to the U.S. Check with your concierge to confirm. As for bringing food back to the U.S., this is fine, assuming you person the food packed successful a vacuum-sealed instrumentality and state it to customs. Ask your hose astir circumstantial regulations.

What sportfishing institution should you choose?

This adjuvant Los Cabos sportfishing calendar shows the champion times of twelvemonth to drawback fashionable section species. (Picante Sportfishing)

Visitors are spoiled for prime successful this area, arsenic Los Cabos boasts dozens of respected sportfishing companies. The Los Cabos Tourism Board notes that 5 of the astir fashionable are Top Anglers Sportfishing, Pisces Sportfishing, Land’s End Charters, Cabo Sportfishing Crew, and Capricho Sportfishing, portion Blue Sky Cabo is the highest-rated sportfishing supplier successful Los Cabos connected TripAdvisor.

Chris Sands is the Cabo San Lucas section adept for the USA Today question website 10 Best, writer of Fodor’s Los Cabos question guidebook and a contributor to galore websites and publications, including Tasting Table, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, Forbes Travel Guide, Porthole Cruise, Cabo Living and Mexico News Daily.