Fishing Tournaments Take Center Stage: October Events in Los Cabos

If you love fishing, there is no better place to spend the month of October than in sunny Cabo San Lucas. Not only does the Land’s End destination at the southernmost tip of the Baja California peninsula enjoy peak conditions for its famed marlin fishing during the coming month, but several tournaments take advantage of this fact to offer enormous payouts to anglers who bring in the biggest catches.

Bisbee’s Black & Blue marlin fishing tournament is the biggest of these events, and the one most likely to turn otherwise unassuming fishermen into millionaires overnight. There’s a reason, after all, they call it the “Super Bowl of Fishing.” Last year, three separate teams walked away with checks in excess of one million dollars, and the prize pool is expected to be every bit as large in 2020.

The Black & Blue is one of two tournaments Bisbee’s organizes during the month of October in Cabo San Lucas. The other is the Los Cabos Offshore, and although not quite as lucrative as the B&B, it’s still one of only a handful of fishing tournaments in the world to feature total payouts in excess of a million dollars.

There are a few changes this year where Bisbee’s is concerned. The traditional weigh station at Puerto Paraiso shopping mall and entertainment center has now been moved to the API Cruise Ship Pier, a site formerly used for awards banquets. As part of the safety policies instituted as a result of Covid-19, there has been an increased focus on pre-registration to limit personal contact. The good news, however, is that Los Cabos continues to loosen Covid-19 restrictions as cases markedly decline.

Bisbee’s fundraiser this year for their Fish and Wildlife Conservation Fund will be an online auction that runs during both tournaments, Los Cabos Offshore and Black & Blue. Auction proceeds will benefit the Green Scholarship Program that provides underprivileged Los Cabos students with college scholarship opportunities, Bisbee’s revolutionary new RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Tagging Program and the Nkwe Tactical Training Academy wildlife anti-poaching program in South Africa.

Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 11 – 15

Bisbee’s two cash-rich tournaments get most of the publicity, but the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament also sends out a siren call to big-game fishermen eager for big-money prizes and jackpots. The three tournaments combined in 2018 to pay out over $5,500,925. The 22nd annual LCBT has three entry levels: a $5,000 base entry for each 6-person team; daily jackpots for the largest tuna, wahoo and dorado; and daily billfish release jackpots. Optional marlin only jackpots are available to teams that paid base entry (this year with two levels). Registration and the post-tournament gala awards ceremony will both be hosted by Playa Grande, a Solmar Group resort.

Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore – October 15 – 18

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. Team Predator took home the most money in 2019, pocketing a cool $445,825 for a few days of “work”.

Bisbee’s Black & Blue – October 20 – 24

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. The $4.165 million payout in 2006 was and still is the largest in sportfishing history. 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.). Three separate checks of over 1.3 million dollars were handed out in 2019.

 For more information about events, 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 credit:  Bisbee’s Offshore Fishing Tournaments

Upcoming Events Calendar

September

Mexican Independence Day – Sep. 16

 October

Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 11 – 15

Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Fishing Tournament – Oct. 15 – 18

Bisbee’s Black & Blue Fishing Tournament – Oct. 20 – 24

 November

Day of the Dead – Nov. 2

WON Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot – Nov. 4 – 7

Los Cabos Film Festival (online only) – Nov. 11 – 19

Gastrovino Baja Food and Wine Festival – Nov. 13 – 15

53rd Annual SCORE Baja 1000 – Nov. 16 – 21

Los Cabos Big Game Charter Boat Classic – Nov. 17 – 20

Revolution Day – Nov. 20

 December

Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12

Official Start of Whale Watching Season – Dec. 15

Las Posadas – Dec. 16 – 24

Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24

Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25

Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31