Earlier this month, Bisbee’s held its 18th annual East Cape Offshore. It was one of their most successful 
tournaments ever, with 136 billfish boated in the 3-day event, and a record spread of teams (11 of 64) claiming a share of over half a million dollars in prize money.
But as fans of fishing’s most celebrated series of tournaments know, the East Cape classic is only a prelude to Bisbee’s marquee annual events: the Los Cabos Offshore and Black & Blue marlin fishing tournaments, held each October in Cabo San Lucas.
The Black & Blue gets star billing, of course. Not only is it the oldest of Bisbee’s three annual tournament in the Los Cabos municipality – it premiered in 1981 – it is also the most lucrative, living up to its hype as “the world’s richest fishing tournament” and “the Super Bowl of sportfishing.” The 2006 payout of $4,165,960 remains the largest in sportfishing history, and nobody turned their nose up at last year’s kitty of 3.5 million.
Cabo San Lucas in October is the place and time where skilled anglers can become millionaires overnight. In 2016, Julio Fernandez’s team aboard Quiteña pocketed a cool $2,183,000 for bagging a bruising 534 lb. black marlin.
This year’s Black & Blue is slated to take place October 24 – 28, with registration on the first day, an awards ceremony on the last, and three days of fishing in between. Those visiting the Land’s End city during the event can watch daily drama as fish are weighed on the marina boardwalk in front of Puerto Paraiso. The drama is a little more tense, however, if you happen to be the one who caught the fish! Registration remains $5,000 per team, or $71,000 across the board for all jackpots and challenges.
The Los Cabos Offshore serves as a warm-up – it is affectionately known as “Little Bisbee’s,” to differentiate it from the Black & Blue, or “Big Bisbee’s” – and kicks off the biggest nine days of the year on the Cabo San Lucas sporting calendar. Scheduled for October 19 – 22, the LCO is thought of as a friendlier, more charity focused tournament than the high-dollar main event that follows. That said, last year’s winners aboard Wild Hooker shared over a quarter of a million dollars. Not bad for a few days on the water.
There’s an old saying that “the worst day fishing is better than the best day at work.”
Where Bisbee’s is concerned, that could be rephrased “the best day fishing is more profitable than the best year at work.”
For more information about Bisbee’s yearly marlin and game fishing tournaments in Baja California Sur, visit www.bisbees.com.
For accommodations click here http://www.loscabosvillas.com/cabo-san-lucas-rental-villas/
Photo courtesy of Bisbee’s.
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