Cabo Sportfishing
The waters around Los Cabos provide some of the best charter sport fishing in the world. The natural state of subsea mountain ranges and weather combined make the area a perfect year-round habitat for many of the most popular species of sport fish. Marlin in particular are plentiful year-round, but Dorado, Tuna, and many other species can be had almost any month on the Calendar.
There are many sportfishing charter fleets in the Los Cabos area to choose from. First, you must pick your location. From Cabo San Lucas itself all the way to Los Barriles and San Jose del Cabo in between, you can find a charter boat in any area of Los Cabos. The experience though in each area is very different.
Cabo San Lucas
Cabo San Lucas is by far the most famous area for fishing in Mexico (and possibly the Western Hemisphere), and it is no wonder why. The Marlin Capitol of the World has plentiful populations of Marlin, Wahoo, Yellow Tail, Dorado, Roosterfish and more, year-round, only a few miles offshore. From the marina in the center of town you can go anywhere from 2 to 25 miles offshore in search of the bite. Shore action is always good for sierra mackerel and roosterfish. Yellowtail tuna come in in batches in the early spring as well.
Blue and Black Marlin in the summer and Striped Marlin year round have earned the town its nickname. From the early days after World War II, when pilots were free to return and explore the vast amount of tuna they could se from their planes, the first thing they did in this tiny fishing village was to open a cannery. Soon the cannery fisherman began to take out tourists until eventually, the town caught the eye of Californians like John Wayne. Since then, the rest is history. The only thing not to have changed is the amount of giant billfish there are to be caught.
Charter companies in Cabo San Lucas all have offices directly on the marina. There are a half a dozen reputable companies and several other lower tier operators. We recommend Slippery Lizzard, Red Rum, Pisces and Picante. They are the big four. All have boats on the marina and all have a good customer service track record. These companies rent boats from 28 ft - 64 ft (if you need it!) and they provide the full service charter experience. You show up with your sun block and sunglasses and they take care of everything else. The fishing industry is very regulated in Cabo, but all of these companies will provide the correct licenses and paperwork for the port captain to get you out quickly in the morning. The Gas up the boats before you get there and have everything ready to go. Get to the dock at 6 and you can be out on the fish by 7am!
Los Barriles
Los Barriles is on the East Cape of Los Cabos, and it is the smallest town of the three. Los Barriles very quaint. It has no marina, only a small portable dock that the wheel out on the beach. The town itself is 45 minutes north of the San Jose Del Cabo Airport and 65 miles south of the La Paz Airport. From Cabo San Lucas, it will take you about 90 minutes.
The consistent winds and beautiful, white sandy beaches make Los Barriles a hot spot for water and wind enthusiasts from late November until early March. Apart from great summer / fall fishing, when the warm waters push up into the Sea of Cortes, it is also one of the top Wind Surfing and Kite Boarding destinations in the world. There are no 5 star resorts, here, only a couple of small, well maintained hotels ready to serve the needs of Baja travelers.
Charters in Los Barriles are done through a couple of small local companies and the hotels themselves. Unlike any other area of Baja, all the major East Cape resort hotels operate their own fleets of cruisers and pangas. The East Cape has remained faithful to the sport fishing business that was the original foundation of Baja tourism half a century ago. There are no golf courses or night clubs in Los Barriles!! The boats really don't get above 30 ft though; it is mostly Panga and Center-Console vessels for hire.
San Jose Del Cabo
San Jose Del Cabo is between Cabo San Lucas and Los Barriles. It is an old town with a new marina. You will not find the same commercial activity that you do in Cabo San Lucas. There aren't any charter companies (or many buildings) on the San Jose Marina; it is just boat slips. Most of the boats in the San Jose marina are not for charter, but there are some local operators that you can't go wrong with. Getting a bigger boat is an issue, but if you ask, you can always get one of the Cabo San Lucas charter boats to go to San Jose to pick you up (for a small additional gas fee). The trip to San Jose takes 45 minutes or so from Cabo by boat.
The fishing conditions in San Jose are much the same as Cabo, but a lot of the fisherman there prefer to Pang fish and stay closer to shore. If you want the full monty, you had best stay in the main marina of Cabo San Lucas. If you want a quite experience with a local guide and no Americans, find a guy at San Jose through your concierge or just by asking around on the marina.