Go Fishing in Cabo and Mazatlán

Late summer in Cabo is high time to get outside and explore. With smaller crowds and shorter days, we suggest taking advantage of organized tours and excursions that start early and benefit from more individual attention. And what better activity to fit those criteria than fishing! Whether you’re staying on the tip of the Baja Peninsula in Cabo San Lucas or on the mainland’s sun-kissed coast in Mazatlán, the knowledgeable activities desk staff at either Pueblo Bonito Resort can help you choose the best tours or resort activities for your interests and budget.

Fishing in Cabo San Lucas
A fishing hot spot, our coastline has long drawn experienced and leisure fishermen alike, with plentiful waters that promise catches you’ll reminisce about for years. Surrounded by the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean, sport fishing enthusiasts will have no shortage of fishable waters to explore. The Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California, is the body of water that separates the Baja California peninsula from mainland Mexico. Named after the Spanish conquistador, Hernán Cortés, the sea is home to countless endemic and migratory species, from the wondrous Humpback and Grey Whales to Giant Manta Rays and Sea Turtles. More than 800 identified species of fish reside in these waters, making this sea one of the most bountiful hot spots for fishing in the world. While The Sea of Cortez has a long history of commercial fishing—making it one of the world’s premiere sportfishing locales—there’s plenty of room for amateurs, too. The water is teeming year-round with schools of tuna and record-setting marlin, dorado, yellowtail, and more. Many of our guests take advantage of a charter service in Cabo San Lucas, with a captain on board who knows exactly where to go to find the fish you want, and who will provide you with the proper equipment. Charters usually hire out their vessels for eight hours from a dock in Marina Cabo San Lucas, its cost including crew, fuel, tackle, ice chest and ice. You’ll have to bring your own food and beverages. Boat sizes range from smaller pangas, or powered skiffs, to cruisers more than 50 feet long with different boats being better suited to angling certain types of fish. If you are heading out on the water in a private yacht, it’s important to keep in mind the following:

● Ensure you have the equipment (tackle, rods, etc.) necessary for the style of fishing you wish to do.
● Double check the safety gear you bring aboard
● Service your boat before launch to ensure its mechanically sound
● Check the local weather forecast to see whether it is safe to fish offshore
● Keep your boat radio on to listen for approaching storms and rough weather

Inshore Fishing- Cabo San Lucas is one of the best places to experience traditional beach-launched panga fishing. As we noted, pangas are smaller powered skiffs and are the ideal craft to take out on the water to do some inshore sport fishing in shallower waters. Along the Sea of Cortez, the reef systems and rocky underwater structures attract popular sport fish like cabrilla, snapper, and Sierra. The exotic-looking Roosterfish is one of the most common inshore species and because they are fast and heavy fighters, they offer a challenge to any inshore sport fisherman. These fish can be caught within casting distance from shore and further out at the surf line. We suggest finding your way to the well-known “Rooster Alley” off of Los Frailes beach on the East Cape to increase your chances of catching one.

Offshore Sportfishing and Deep-Sea Fishing- Offshore fishing in Cabo San Lucas is some of the best in the world. Out in the deep blue waters of Los Cabos is where serious sport fisherman find 300-pound tunas, lightning-fast sailfish, and a one-ton marlin. The cavernous trenches, canyons, and seamounts in the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean are home to baitfish and middleweight sport fish, as well as many big game species. Common offshore sport fish include sailfish, swordfish, shark, tuna, dorado, wahoo, and striped, black, and blue marlin.

Onshore Fishing and Surfcasting- With a seemingly endless coastline and miles of sandy beaches stretching around the Cape, Los Cabos is a premiere hot spot for onshore sport fishing, too. Onshore fishing is extremely accessible and affordable in Cabo San Lucas since you don’t need a boat and can fish off most of the beaches, both on the Pacific Side and along the Sea of Cortez. Better still, at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort, you can participate in our Hook & Cook activity where each Wednesday, Pacifica’s resident chef invites a group of up to six guests to join him in some onshore fishing and then uses whatever’s caught to prepare a signature ‘mesa de ceviches’, right there on the beach. Catch your meal and eat
your catch.

Fishing in Mazatlán
Many, if not all, of the fishing opportunities in Cabo are also available if you stay with us in Mazatlán. Teeming with blue and white marlin and sailfish, the waters off of Mazatlán are fondly regarded as the “billfish capital of the world.” Sportfishing in the Sea of Cortez is excellent all year long with summers attracting marlin and mako sharks as well as talented fishermen and women to catch them. But you don’t have to stay onshore to watch them. Book a fishing tour of your own through a charter service to experience the thrill of big game fishing while you’re here, and bring your fresh catch back to the hotel for our expert chefs to prepare! Here’s where we suggest casting your line for the following styles of fishing:

Surf/Shore Fishing - Estero La Escopama is a large lake just north of Mazatlán that’s full of triggerfish and jack crevalle. The lake is connected to the ocean with a second outlet dumping into Emerald Bay—an endless tributary for baitfish seeking protection from deep water predators. The lake’s long shoreline offers a variety of spots from which to cast. And all of its bays and inlets give the fish plenty of places to hang around. El Cid Marina Beach is on the edge of Marina Mazatlán and offers great snook and jack crevalle fishing. There are areas within the marina where fishing is prohibited, but on the beaches, fishing is welcome.

Inshore Fishing - Isla de Venados sits just off the coast of Mazatlán and is on the outside of a small bay surrounded by beaches. One of the most popular ways to fish inshore spots near Mazatlán is to bottom-fish. To accomplish this, you can use either fresh or artificial bait rigged with either weights or a jig. Some of the species here include grouper, red snapper, and snook. The back of the island has a small bay and can be a very good spot for inshore species, too. Isla de Pajaros is just north of Isla de Venados and offers a similar fishing experience but may hold more fish during the morning in its shallower shoreline. Emerald Bay, north of Mazatlán, holds plenty of inshore species of fish, with the occasional offshore species passing through as well. In this bay, snook, snapper, grouper, and amberjack will be most plentiful.

Offshore- Finally, offshore fishing is one of the most popular ways to fish in Mazatlán because it offers the greatest opportunities to catch the area’s biggest fish and a wider variety of species. Some of the species you can find offshore include marlin, sailfish, tuna, dorado, and barracuda. If you are planning on going offshore, your charter will take care of the bait, tackle, and finding spots, giving you a relaxing day on the water.

Autumn is one of the best times to fish the waters around Los Cabos and Mazatlán, so come and cast your line. Try your luck at reeling in the next big catch. The fish are here and waiting, and so are we. Book your stay with Pueblo Bonito in Cabo San Lucas or Mazatlán today.