It all started back in 1981, when the owner of a fuel dock and tack business on Balboa Island, Newport Harbor, organized
the first Black & Blue marlin tournament in Cabo San Lucas.
His name was Bob Bisbee, and at that first tournament six teams competed for the princely sum of about 10,000 dollars.
Fast forward 25 years into the future, to 2006, and the cash payout had grown to a staggering $4,165,960, then and now the largest in sportfishing history. Over the course of two and a half decades, this once small event had grown to become the most famous in the sport, gathering nicknames along the way like “The World’s Richest Fishing Tournament” and “The Super Bowl of Sportfishing.”
Flash forward 12 more years to 2018 and Bisbee’s Black & Blue remains the marquee fishing event in Cabo San Lucas (and beyond), but it’s no longer the only major tournament on the calendar. It’s not even the only major tournament on the calendar for Bisbee’s.
Over the course of its history in the Los Cabos municipality – which not only includes cape cities Cabo San Lucas and San Jose del Cabo, but also the less developed East Cape area – Bisbee’s has steadily built its brand, increasing its prestige through bigger payouts and an extended range of tournament offerings. An East Cape Offshore was added in 2000, a Los Cabos Offshore in 2002.
That trio has comprised Bisbee’s Los Cabos fishing triumvirate ever since.
Each has its own place on the calendar, and each has its own unique personality. The Black & Blue remains very much “The Big Daddy,” while the Los Cabos Offshore has become a more fun-filled, charity-focused alternative.
The East Cape Offshore, meanwhile, is known as the most laid-back of the three events, and as a tone setter, since it’s the first event to take place each year. It kicks off, in effect, the yearly calendar.
In 2018, the ECO is scheduled for Jul. 31 to Aug. 4; the LCO follows, Oct. 18 to 21; with the B&B headlining Oct. 23 to 27.
July 31st is thus the day Bisbee’s returns to Los Cabos, the day all eyes turn to the municipality’s gorgeous East Cape, a 70-mile coastal arc that stretches from the outskirts of San Jose del Cabo to Los Barriles and the Bay of Palms beyond.
The East Cape has long been known for its dirt roads, secluded beaches and off-the-grid communities, but the recent Los Cabos building boom has reached as far as the East Cape’s La Ribera, site of the soon-to-be-open Four Seasons Costa Palmas Resort.
A few miles northwest of La Ribera are Los Barriles and its neighbor Buenavista, the traditional fishing capitals of the East Cape. The two small but picturesque tourist towns host the majority of the region’s tournaments. Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort in Buenavista, for example, is the long-time headquarters for Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore, and the site of the post-tournament awards ceremony. This heritage is celebrated by the leaping marlin sculpture which greets guests at the resort’s entrance.
Last year, 64 teams vied for over $590,000 in prize money at the East Cape Offshore. A record 11 of the 64 teams shared in those payouts, following an exciting tournament that saw 136 billfish – including 71 blue marlin and 55 striped marlin – caught in only three days. By contrast, only three dorado and 16 tuna were boated during the same time period.
Capt. Andrew Hughes and his Mi Corazon team finished first overall, receiving over $258,000 for their efforts….not a bad return for a few days spent fishing in paradise. Their winning catch was an impressive 437 lb. black marlin, one of only three black marlin caught during the tournament.
Base entry for this year’s ECO remains $1,500 per team, with $17,000 across the board for entry in all daily jackpots. The base entries are pooled and disbursed at the conclusion of the event, with the majority going to billfish winners, and the remainder earmarked for trophy gamefish like tuna and dorado.
Sadly, Bob Bisbee will not be there to watch it. The man who started it all, the godfather of tournament fishing in Los Cabos, passed away peacefully in his Dallas area home last Thursday, June 14th, at the age of 85.
He will be missed. But his legacy continues, his name forever synonymous with trophy-sized catches and boisterous good times.
For information about this and other events, as well as activities and villa rentals in Los Cabos, call us TOLL FREE at 1-888-655-4548, visit www.LosCabosVillas.com, or email us at Info@LosCabosVillas.com .
Photo courtesy of Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore.
Upcoming Event Calendar
June
Rancho Pescadero Yoga, Surf & Nutrition Retreat – May 30 – June 2
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – June 7, 14, 21, 28
Pelagic Triple Crown: 5th Annual Cabo Summer Slam – June 7 – 9
Los Cabos Open of Surf – June 11 – 17
Fiesta de la Musica – June 23
Stars and Stripes Golf & Fishing Tournament – June 28 – July 1
King of the Beach Volleyball Tournament at SUR Beach House – June 30
July
Stars and Stripes Golf & Fishing Tournament – June 28 – July 1
East Cape Dorado Shootout Fishing Tournament – Jul. 21
Los Cabos Open of Tennis – July 30 – Aug. 4
Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore Fishing Tournament – Jul. 31 – Aug. 4
August
Los Cabos Open of Tennis – July 30 – Aug. 4
Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore Fishing Tournament – Jul. 31 – Aug. 4
East Cape Gold Cup Wahoo Jackpot Fishing Tournament – Aug. 25
September
Día de la Independencia (Independence Day) – Sep. 16
October
Sammy Hagar Birthday Bashes at Cabo Wabo Cantina – Oct. 9, 11, 13
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 14 – 18
Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Fishing Tournament – Oct. 18 – 21
Bisbee’s Black & Blue Fishing Tournament – Oct. 23 – 27
25th Baja Ha-Ha Cruisers Rally – Oct. 28 – Nov. 10
Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Oct. 31 – Nov. 2
November
Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Oct. 31 – Nov. 2
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Nov. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29
Life Luxe Jazz Experience at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica – Nov. 1 – 4
IRONMAN 70.3 Latin American Tri Club Championship – Nov. 4
Adidas Golf Invitational at Cabo del Sol – Nov. 6 – 11
WON Tuna Jackpot – Nov. 7 – 10
SCORE Baja 1000 – Nov. 14 – 18
Día de la Revolución (Revolution Day) – Nov. 20
Día de Acción de Gracias (Thanksgiving) – Nov. 22
December
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Dec. 6, 13, 20, 27
Virgin of Guadalupe Feast Day – Dec. 12
Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24
Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25
Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31
Please let me know what you think about this!