Last year, Bisbee’s trio of big-game fishing tournaments in Los Cabos smashed records for participations and payouts, with the East
Cape Offshore, Los Cabos Offshore, and Black and Blue tournaments combining to offer an astounding prize pool of over 7.2 million dollars.
So successful was the 2020 fishing season for Bisbee’s that expectations have been “off the charts” high for 2021. Could Bisbee’s break its records all over again?
If last weekend’s East Cape Offshore is any indication, the answer is a resounding yes!
The ECO tournament annually kicks off the season for Bisbee’s in early August, setting the tone for the two October events to follow. Last year, a record 72 teams competed for a record 1.1 million dollars, the first time the tournament had ever crossed the million-dollar threshold.
This year, 96 teams competed in the event, which is hosted by the Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort in the Los Cabos municipality’s gorgeous East Cape region. To say that smashed the year-old record is an understatement. It obliterated it, just as this year’s payout of $1,582,975 obliterated the previous mark…topping it by nearly half a million dollars.
Another way to look at it…the 2021 payouts increased by over 42% in a single year!
“The top two 2021 winning teams received more money than the total amount received by all the winners in the 2020 event,” said Tournament Director Wayne Bisbee. Last year’s ECO payouts, as mentioned, totaled 1,1 million. This year’s largest two payouts were $790,712 for first place, and $431,800 for a roll-over jackpot, for a total of $1.22 million.
No, no one topped last year’s ECO record 704 lb. blue marlin, but the fishing certainly contributed to the excitement surrounding the event. And to be fair, Team Tiger Spirit came close. Their 597 lb. black marlin garnered first place, and was the second largest qualifying fish caught in the 22-year history of the event!
The upshot? If you haven’t entered this year’s Los Cabos Offshore or Black and Blue tournaments yet, what are you waiting for?
Here’s what to expect from the remaining two Bisbee’s events in 2021, including info on entry fees and previous payouts.
Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore – October 14th to 17th
Commonly known as “Little Bisbee’s,” to differentiate it from the “Big Bisbee’s” Black & Blue marlin fishing tournament that also takes place each October in Los Cabos, the Los Cabos Offshore dates back to 2002, and is considered a more laid-back, charity focused endeavor than the Black & Blue.
Cash prizes are awarded to the teams with the three biggest qualifying fish in the game and billfish categories at the LCO, and large amounts of fish/meals are always donated to local families in need.
Base entry for teams is $1,500 U.S., with $22,500 necessary for “across the board” entry in all jackpots and challenges. In 2020, the Los Cabos Offshore topped the million-dollar mark for the second year in a row, with prize pools and jackpots totaling $1,457,000 for the 128 participating teams.
Bisbee’s Black & Blue – October 19th to 23rd
Oft billed as “The World’s Richest Fishing Tournament,” thanks to its million dollar payouts, this marlin fishing tournament originally premiered in 1981, and remains to this day the highest profile annual event in Los Cabos. Base entry for this millionaire maker is $5,000 U.S. per team, and requires a $71,500 U.S. outlay across all categories, jackpots and challenges. Prizes are awarded for the top five catches of black and blue marlin, assuming they meet the minimum standards (300 lbs.).
A robust 127 teams comprising 883 fishermen and women competed in the Black and Blue in 2020, as the B&B smashed its own record with $4,649,350 in total prize money. That bested the former mark, set in 2006, of $4,165,960; which for well over a decade had been the largest payout in sport fishing history.
But as we just saw with the 2021 ECO, history is now being made every time Bisbee’s holds a tournament.
Which is why, of course, Cabo San Lucas is the place to be this October. Where else can you get paid this much to go fishing and party?
For more information about upcoming events, activities and attractions, 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 credit: Gary Graham/Bisbee’s Offshore Fishing Tournaments
Upcoming Events Calendar
August
Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore – Aug. 3 – 7
La Vendimia Wine Festival at Esperanza – Aug. 20
Wahoo Gold Cup Jackpot Fishing Tournament – Aug. 21
September
Mexico Independence Day – Sep. 16
October
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 10 – 14
Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Fishing Tournament – Oct. 14 – 17
Bisbee’s Black and Blue Fishing Tournament – Oct. 19 – 23
November
Baja Ha-Ha Cruisers Rally – Nov. 1 – 13
Day of the Dead – Nov. 1, 2
WON Tuna Jackpot – Nov. 3 – 6
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Nov. 4, 11, 18, 25
Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas – Nov. 5, 12, 19, 26
Los Cabos Film Festival – Nov. 10 – 17
SCORE Baja 1000 – Nov. 15 – 20
Revolution Day – Nov. 20
December
Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Dec. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
Viva La Plaza in Cabo San Lucas – Dec. 3, 10, 17, 24, 31
El Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe – Dec. 12
Las Posadas – Dec. 16 – 24
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!