Cabo Fishing Charters

As the chartering in Los Barrilles and San Jose Del Cabo is fairly straight forward, this page is going to start and focus on Cabo San Lucas itself. There are a couple of hotels like the Sol Mar Resort and the Palmilla which private fishing fleets available to their guests, but for most travelers, you will have to find your own charter boat. If you are coming to Cabo mostly for fishing, you will want to make sure your digs aren't too far down the road, or you might have a hard time getting to the marina by 6:00 am.

Cabo San Lucas Charter Companies

With its reputation, it's not surprising that Cabo San Lucas is a hot spot for fishing charter boats. Over the last 25 years, upward of two hundred charter companies have come and gone. Now there are close to 30 currently in business, with many different approaches.Tthe smallest charter companies consist of a guy and a boat, no office, no frills, sometimes not even a web site! The larger companies have upward of 20 boats in their fleet, dedicated salesmen, and even a store and staff!

There are PROs and CONs to both extremes. Some of the best fisherman in Cabo run their own small boat, and they live off the same 200 customers who come back every year to fish with them. These guys have earned their business through great fishing year after year. Some other individual operator simply may or may not show up in the morning. Many of the large companies have dozens of employees and boats of every conceivable variety readily available, and many of them draw some great local talent with the salaries they can afford to pay the crews. Some other large charter companies that appear to have the right formula actually only derive a small part of their revenue from chartering boats. It's not surprising, as tourism is not constant in Cabo. These companies make most of their money in real estate, or time share or from doing something else completely. This doesn't mean they aren't reputable fishing outfits, but like all big, diverse companies, they aren't as keen in responding to poor feedback or changing fishing conditions as the smaller companies. The best companies, as with most things, are somewhere in the middle.

The Cabo San Lucas Marina

The Cabo Marina is operated by IGY, an international company with marinas in all of the worlds most prestigious ports. It's a beautiful place to stroll, shop, eat and book a fishing charter! You can literally take a stroll around the marina and see a dozen charter booking offices, which will all have English speaking guides to help you. You can see even more roaming dock salesmen (called coyotes), who will also help you book a charter. We would recommend booking before you arrive in Cabo. You will definitely hear some horror stories about tourist being ripped off during bookings made on the dock, but the coyotes are legitimate reps for a lot of boat charter companies and individuals also. Just make sure you read about the companies before you arrive and follow the advice on this web site and others about how to deal with booking on the marina. Some useful tips:

  • COYOTES ARE LICENCED - if a coyote approaches you, he is representing a company or an individual boat owner. He has a license to sell charters on the dock, issued by the government, so do not be afraid to deal with him. Unlicensed coyotes get a lot of grief from the real licensed coyotes, so as long as you aren't in an alley, you can assume the guy is legit.
  • LOOK BEFORE YOU BUY - if he is working for a company the coyote will offer to take you to their marina office and there you can speak to a representative of the charter company (usually American). If a coyote is working for an individual, he can usually get him or her on the phone to show you the boat. You should definitely tour the boat that you intend to charter. Most companies have their boats very close to the office. If the boat is out on a charter, you can make an appointment to come back and see the boat at the end of the day. Feel free to ask the returning customers how it went!
  • CUT OUT THE MIDDLE MAN - if you have no intention of chartering from an individual on the dock or a coyote, and you feel safer using a company with an office, then we can't blame you. There are deals to be had through coyotes, but risk also. If you go direct to the companies on the marina, you can usually get them to come down off their book prices. They do this because they don't have to pay a commission!
  • BOOK AHEAD - booking on the marina can be stressful. It almost always involves some cell phone calls and scheduling to see a boat. This time could all be better spent on the beach in our opinion. Unless you get some real pleasure from shopping around, the best thing to do is book online or over the phone with a reputable company at least a couple of weeks before you fly. They will take a deposit, and then you can go by and check out their operation when you arrive. If you feel like what you rented was misrepresented, you can get your deposit back (credit cards favor the purchaser) and you have lost nothing.

The Charter Boats

The charter boats available in Cabo are as different as the men operating them. There are small Pangas (single engine) with crude shades and room for 3 people and there are 72 ft luxury Sportfishing yachts with salons, parlors, kitchens and .. well .. you get the point. The former can cost you 100 bucks per day and the latter over 15,000 bucks for a day. It is likely that there will be a time limit on those big boats as well.

The "average" charter boat is between 28 and 38 ft long and goes for between 700 and 1500 bucks a day, all included. Obviously the nicer a boat, the more you will pay, but you should also ask bout the captain and the crew and the level of service included. Just going with the cheapest company is not always the best option. The service you get can be quite a bit different. Some companies pull in the lures and come right back t the dock at 8 hours, no matter what, and some will stay out until you get a fish. Some companies include everything in the charter, and some will try to sell you on a bare boat deal, which can have some hidden costs. Here are some tips on selecting a charter boat:

  • FIND OUT WHAT YOU GET - a lot of companies will try to sell you a bare boat charter, which means you will have to pay for your own licenses, food, ice, bait, drinks, beer and sodas. That can add up. Licenses are around USD $13.00 per person. Bait fish will cost you $30-$45 dollars, Ice is 20 bucks, and then you have to detour by Costco or Wal-Mart and get your own food and beer. It doesn't take long to realize why the bare boat charter saved you 100 bucks! What's worse, if you wait until the morning of the charter to buy that stuff, you will end up in line at the port captain for your license, and you will pay a fortune for drinks at the few places open that early. Full Service charters are much better, as they let you enjoy your vacation and you know exactly what you are getting. Charter companies don't make a significant profit from those things, so you may as well let them handle it.
  • ASK ABOUT WHERE THE FISH ARE - all the charter companies are worried about the cost of fuel. It is the single largest expense for a charter. When the fish are close to shore, fuel consumption is a lot less. But when the fish are 25 miles offshore, some companies will go out slowly in the morning to save fuel, which can cut your fishing time down significantly and can even cause you to miss the morning bite! Some will even tell you fibs about where the fish are. All the companies have the same data, so the reports should not conflict. Find out what a company's philosophy is and ask a couple of questions about this. Are they going to run the boat and get you on the fish and stay out until nightfall if necessary? If not, go somewhere else.
  • DO SOME RESEARCH - Get on TripAdvisor and Facebook and interact with some past customers. Don't just trust the number of Tripadvisor reviews, because a lot of those are done by the companies themselves! Find some folks who liked it and disliked it and email them. You can even call the company and ask for references.

Five Recommended Charter Fleets

Los Cabos has much more than five charter companies, but the ones recommended below are chosen because of a few key criteria. All have nice offices with shops on the marina, they all operate fleets with a good variety of options for the customer. All of these operators employ great local captains and deck hands, and most importantly, these are all companies the author of this web site has personally visited. Send a quote request to all five with one form.

Slippery Lizzard Sportfishing (01)

Slippery Lizzard is the newest fleet in Cabo that has any credibility. The started in 2009, so you won't find as many reviews as the older companies, but what the do have going for them is a fleet of more upmarket boats and a "fuel is not an issue" policy." The boats ar al twin screw (2 motors) from 30' - 43'. Slippery Lizzard has made a name in the local tournaments and provides true full service charters.    1-770-573-0334   |   Email Inquiry

Mucho Loco Sportfishing (02)

Mucho Loco is the only company listed here run by a local from Cabo San Lucas. He has been operating since before Cabo was on the map, and his boats and crews are no nonsense. The boats are all single engine 28 footers. They do everything for you, but they don't really speak English that well. Mucho Loco offers great rates, but no full service charters.   + 52 1 624 147 5324   |   Email Inquiry

Red Rum Sportfishing (03)

The Red Rum fleet has been around for a long time also, and they specialize in smaller boats, from 28 ft - 33 ft, mostly singe-screw, but with experienced crews. The do charter a couple of larger boats as well. Red Rum has a lot of rabid reviews all over the internet. They offer full service and bare boat charters, as well as half day fishing for those on a budget.     1-760-481-7667   |   Email Inquiry

Picante Sportfishing (04)

Picante is located next door to Senior Sweets, on the busiest part of the marina, right next t Puerto Paraiso (the mall). Picante is a local CABO Yacht dealership, and it offers chartering services only to its yacht customers. This makes the fleet very nice, as almost every boat is a CABO. They range in size from 26 ft to 72 ft and despite the expensive boats, the charters are competitive. Picante has a great crew working for them, but they are not as easy to talk down in price.    1-714-442-0644   |   Email Inquiry

Pisces Sportfishing Fleet (05)

The Pisces Fleet is one of the oldest in Cabo. Pisces owns most of its own 28's and a few in the 30 ft range. The company charters the rest for private yacht owners. Pisces is very solid; they have over 30 boats in the fleet. They publish a fish report every week (and have done for years). The only negative thing about Pisces is that getting to their office is a little bit of a nightmare. It is located quite far from the central marina area.     1-619-819-7983   |   Email Inquiry