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Los Cabos Fishing Report October 13, 2019

October 13, 2019 by Leave a Comment

October 13, 2019

Increasing numbers of anglers are arriving each day, in the next couple of weeks the crowds of the fall season crowds will be peaking. Weather is now transitioning, noticeably cooler early mornings, though days are still warm, very humid, more tropical cloud cover and over the weekend major rain squalls, We saw wide varying ocean conditions this week, from flat glass, no breeze at all, to swirling winds and choppy seas.

The fishing action was almost as unpredictable as the wither patterns. One day very few fish would cooperate, next day we had great action for the elusive wahoo, then the yellowfin tuna action became more active, dorado were spotty, but some nice schools were occasionally encountered, at times close to shore, others further offshore. On Friday, legendary La Playita local pangero Hugo Pino brought in a yellowfin that weighed in at 264 lb., impressive cow, first of this class we have heard about this season off of the Gordo Banks, the tuna hit on a live skipjack. On Saturday local super panga skipper Chame Pino landed a 111 lb. tuna

Through most of the week the more consistent all around action was near Iman Bank, also north to San Luis and Vinorama. Sardinas were now being netted ear the marina jetty, already becoming more limited as season becomes busier, ballyhoo was a great option for wahoo, slabs of squid were using for drift fishing for the tuna, caballito were another option. A few charters were searching for chihuil, which were ideal for wahoo, when obtainable. Through mid-week the wahoo went on a great bite, fish to over 40 lb., striking trolled Rapalas, skirted lead heads and various baits. Rigged ballyhoo proved to work especially well. Some charters had as many as four wahoo, while losing other strikes. Things can happen quickly with these speedsters are aggressive.

Yellow tuna action was mainly centered on Iman Ban, but this week a handful of nicer quality tuna came off of the Gordo Banks. Bite was spotty from day to day, as currents and water clarity was fluctuating, best bet for the yellowfin seemed to be drift fishing with sardinas, squid and also slow trolling smaller sized skipjack. We saw yellowfin tuna this week from football sized, all the way up to cows of 264 lb. most tuna we are seeing were in the 15 to 70 lb. range.

Dorado became more scattered that they had been, though there are some decent schools of these fish being found, of the fish we did see, we saw more respectable sized 10 to 20 lb. specimens.

We heard of more striped marlin activity out of Cabo San Lucas, though on the grounds off of San Jose del Cabo and towards the north there was some striped marlin and a few sailfish reported.

Off the bottom there was no consistent bite going on, a scattering of pargo, snapper, cabrilla, bonito and the highlight were several dogtooth snapper up to 45 lb., we have not seen many of those fish this season.

The combined sportfishing fleet launching out of the panga area from Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out an estimated 110 charters for the week and anglers reported an approximate fish count of: 1 sailfish, 6 striped marlin, 68 yellowfin tuna, 29 dorado, 47 wahoo, 7 leopard grouper, 8 Mexican bonito, 8 yellow snapper, 3 dogtooth snapper, 2 barred pargo, 3 pompano, 6 sierra, 4 amberjack, 4 surgeon fish and 95 triggerfish.

Good Fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

Filed Under: Cabo San Lucas Blog, Fishing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Los Cabos Fishing Report – October 6, 2019

October 6, 2019 by Leave a Comment

October 6, 2019

Anglers –

The busy fall season has already started, we saw much larger crowds of anglers arriving and this will continue through November. Last week we were all closely watching the development and progress of Tropical Storm Norda, we ended up being very fortunate as this system stayed along the mainland and never made much impact at all on Southern Baja, just a few sprinkles and cloud cover and of course increased tropical humidity. Weather patterns are changing progressively now, cooler mornings, though high temperatures are still around 90 degrees. Forecast looks clear for now, which is a relief for all of the vising anglers and fleet operators as well,

Calm ocean now, with very slight breezes, water temperature in the 83/84 degree range and clear blue water close to shore. Bait has consisted of sardinas, being netted near the marina jetty areas, also some caballito, ballyhoo and slabs of squid available. Main fishing grounds being concentrated on have been from Palmilla Pint to Iman Bank and in between.

The action for yellowfin tuna slowed way down, as more black skipjack were schooling on the same tuna grounds, early in the week a handful of yellowfin up to 70 lb. were landed, but after that it was more dorado and wahoo which were dominating the action, though over the weekend the tuna action did seem to start back up near the Iman bank, as several yellowfin tuna in the 40 to 60 lb. class were accounted for.. A new group of dorado moved in, especially off of the Palmilla Point, where limits were the rule for fish of 10 to 20 lb., they were striking on a variety of trolling lures as well as baits. Inspectors are now regularly checking limits, so make sure to not go over your two fish limit of dorado.

Wahoo became more active as well, areas to the north of Punta Gorda, as well as off of Palmilla produced wahoo to over 40 lb., trolling Rapalas accounted for the majority of strikes, some charters accounted for up to three ‘hoo, which is good for this early in the season.

We heard of some larger sized bull dorado on the Pacific, up to 40 lb., though no big numbers at all. Also we heard of a handful of cow sized yellowfin tuna being encountered offshore traveling with porpoise, we expect to start seeing these large tuna to make their way towards the Gordo Banks soon, as they are running behind schedule this year.

Not much going off the bottom, though there were a few amberjack in the 50 lb. class landed, also a selection or pargo, cabrilla, bonito, pompano and triggerfish. Current has slacked, so maybe that will help improve bottom action, though most anglers now have preferred to target the surface species.

Billfish action out of San Jose del Cabo was scattered, a few sailfish and striped marlin being the main deal, found on the same grounds such as Iman Bank.

The combined sportfishing fleet launching out of the panga area from Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out an estimated 102 charters for the week and anglers reported an approximate fish count of: 3 sailfish, 5 striped marlin, 32 yellowfin tuna, 325 dorado, 26 wahoo, 12 leopard grouper, 14 Mexican bonito, 16 yellow snapper, 12 big eye jack, 12 barred pargo, 8 pompano, 5 sierra, 9 amberjack and 75 triggerfish.

Good Fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

Filed Under: Cabo San Lucas Blog, Fishing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Fishing Takes Center Stage: October Events in Los Cabos

October 3, 2019 by Leave a Comment

October is a big month in Los Cabos. Not only does it signal the traditional start of high-tourist season, but the start of high fishing season as well. Three of Cabo San Lucas’ biggest fishing tournaments take place in October, including the biggest of them all: Bisbee’s Black & Blue. High stakes and huge payouts are the norm in October, a tradition that also can be seen on Los Cabos’ picturesque East Cape, which is home to a high-powered tuna shootout.

Cabo San Lucas also hosts visitors from around the globe in October for Sammy Hagar’s Birthday Bashes at Cabo Wabo Cantina. The Red Rocker is the celebrity most associated with the Land’s End city, but many more join him for this annual series of concerts at the iconic downtown nightclub.

Sammy Hagar’s 72nd Birthday Bashes at Cabo Wabo Cantina – Oct. 9, 11, 13

Every year since 1990, loyal “Redheads” from around the world have flocked to Cabo San Lucas for Sammy Hagar’s Birthday Bashes at Cabo Wabo Cantina. In 2019, the former Van Halen and Montrose celebrates his 72nd year on the planet with an all-star cast of visiting musicians, including The Circle members Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham, and Vic Johnson. Shows are scheduled for October 9, 11 and 13. General admission tickets are available to winners of a random drawing, but those who aren’t selected will still have an opportunity to attend. Some dinner show tickets will be made available in early October on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 13 – 17

Just as September is El Mes de la Patria, the “the country’s month,” in México, October is the month of the fishing tournament in Cabo San Lucas. Bisbee’s two cash-rich tournaments–the Los Cabos Offshore and Black & Blue–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 last year to pay out over $5,500,925. The 21st 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 17 – 20

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. That said, The LCO joined rarified company last year when its overall payouts exceeded one million dollars ($1,165,000 to be exact), making it one of the very few tournaments ever to reach that elite benchmark. Cash prizes are awarded to the teams with the three biggest qualifying fish in the game and billfish categories at the LCO, with thousands of meals donated to local families in need. Base entry for teams is $1,500 U.S., with $17,000 necessary for “across the board” entry in all jackpots and challenges.

Bisbee’s Black & Blue – October 22 – 26

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, overall payout in 2006 was and still is the largest in sportfishing history, although last year’s winners took home a more than respectable $3,004,900 out of an available purse of 3,693,625. 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.).

Van Wormer Resort Tuna Shootout – Oct. 26

One-day fishing shootouts are a tradition on the East Cape, at least where Van Wormer Resorts are concerned. Van Wormer hosts a dorado shootout each July in which the winner takes home a new car (or in 2019, a Volkswagen Amarok pickup track). The winners of the October tuna shootout, the 7th edition of which takes place Oct. 26, won’t get anything nearly as flashy as that. Just cold hard cash. The largest tuna caught on the day in question will earn one lucky team of anglers approximately $35,000. Base entry is only $500 and in addition to participation covers dinner at the awards ceremony at Hotel Palmas de Cortez in Los Barriles. Second and third place will also share in the over $100,000 in total payouts, with jackpots and raffle and drawing prizes also up for grabs.

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:  Los Cabos Billfish Tournament

Upcoming Events Calendar

October

Sammy Hagar Birthday Bashes at Cabo Wabo Cantina – Oct. 9, 11, 13

Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 13 – 17

Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Tournament – Oct. 17 – 20

Traditional Fiestas in Cabo San Lucas – Oct. 17 – 20

Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament – Oct. 22 – 26

Los Cabos Tattoo Fest – Oct. 25 – 27

Van Wormer Resort Tuna Shoot Out – Oct. 26

Halloween – Oct 31

November

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Nov. 1 – 2

Pelagic Rock Star Tuna Tournament – Nov. 1 – 3

Ironman Los Cabos 70.3 Half-Triathlon – Nov. 3

21st WON Tuna Jackpot – Nov. 6 – 9

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28

Los Cabos Film Festival – Nov. 13 – 17

52nd Annual Baja 1000 – Nov. 19 – 24

Sabor a Cabo International Food & Wine Festival – Nov. 30

December

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Dec. 5, 12, 19, 26

Dressed to the K9s Charity Gala – Date Not Yet Announced

Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12

Official Start of Whale Watching Season – Dec. 15

Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24

Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25

Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31

January

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Los Cabos Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Cabo del Sol – Jan. 12 – 16

Tropic of Cancer Concert Series in Todos Santos – Jan. 15 – 19

February

Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Feb. 1 – 8

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27

Todos Santos Artists’ Open Studios Tour – Feb. 7 – 9

San Jose del Cabo Jazz Weekend – Dates Not Yet Announced

21st Annual Baja Hog Rally – Dates Not Yet Announced

Carnaval in La Paz – Feb. 20 – 25

 

 

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Celebrating Birthday Season in Cabo San Lucas

September 18, 2019 by Leave a Comment

The biggest birthday in Cabo San Lucas this October is that of the Land’s End city itself, which turns 478 years young on October 18th. That’s right. Despite the fact that the tourist age only began about 50 years ago, everyone’s favorite getaway spot on the southernmost rim of the Baja California peninsula has a history that goes back much further. Much, much further.

The written history of Cabo San Lucas began in 1541 when Spanish sea captain Francisco de Bolaños, patrolling the area under the orders of explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and conquistador-in-chief Hernan Cortes, discovered the future vacation destination and named it according to the Catholic calendar…October 18th being the official feast day of Saint Luke. Before Bolaños showed up, the place was simply referred to as Ballenas (the Spanish word for whales) on nautical charts.

Each year to honor its birth a series of local events are held in Cabo San Lucas, including a parade down the main street of Marina Blvd. Such festivities are common in Spanish speaking countries, where they’re called fiestas tradicionales. But in Cabo San Lucas these events are little publicized and draw scant interest from tourists.

October’s other notable birthday, on the other hand, is a very big deal…so big in fact that it draws visitors from around the globe.

That would be the birthday of Sammy Hagar, of course. “The Red Rocker” helped to put Cabo San Lucas on the map–just as surely as Bolaños did before him–when he opened Cabo Wabo Cantina with his then Van Halen bandmates back in 1990, turning “Cabo” into a popular Spring Break destination almost overnight. Hagar’s annual birthday bashes have been a tradition ever since, and continue to sell out months in advance, as they did again this year.

Little wonder that the competition for tickets is fierce. Hagar is rock n’ roll royalty, after all, and has been a star since he first joined Montrose in 1973. He eventually went solo, charting hits like There’s Only One Way to Rock and I Can’t Drive 55 before cycling through a series of supergroups, from Van Halen to Chickenfoot.

Hagar is also Los Cabos royalty, the celebrity figure most associated with life at Land’s End.

Hagar first heard of Los Cabos when he was reading about Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards’ marriage in a music magazine, and he began making plans for his own club soon after his initial visit. He opened Cabo Wabo Cantina with Van Halen in 1990, famously premiering the new Land’s End bar and restaurant with a massive promotional assist from MTV. The Van Halen partnership eventually dissolved–both musically and in Cabo Wabo–even as Hagar steered the venture toward enormous success.

In 1996, Cabo Wabo spun off its own house brand of tequila, likewise known as Cabo Wabo. A scant 11 years later, Hagar was able to sell 80% of his stake in the spirit to the Campari Group, cashing out with a cool $80 million.

The cantina has also proved popular, so much so that additional locations have been opened in Las Vegas, Hollywood and Lake Tahoe. The upshot of this continued success is that Hagar is now as much a business magnate as famous musician, recently adding rum and branded beach bars to his ever growing portfolio.

But Cabo Wabo Cantina is the place that started it all, and it’s where Hagar has celebrated his birthday for 28 of the past 29 years (excepting 2014, when an ill-timed hurricane necessitated a move to Las Vegas).

The tradition continues this year as Hagar turns 72. He’ll headline birthday bashes on Oct. 9, 11 and 13 with his group The Circle, and big-name cameos are almost a given. Although tickets are officially sold out and have been since July, a few first-come first-serve dinner show tickets are always made available. This year, they go on sale at noon on the day before each show, ensuring lines around the block.

And why not? “There’s only one way to rock”, and one place, too:  That’s in Cabo San Lucas this October.

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: Matt Becker

 Upcoming Event Calendar

 September

Día de la Independencia (Mexican Independence Day) – Sep. 16

 October

Sammy Hagar Birthday Bashes at Cabo Wabo Cantina – Oct. 9, 11, 13

Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 13 – 17

Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Tournament – Oct. 17 – 20

478th Anniversary of Cabo San Lucas – Oct. 18

Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament – Oct. 22 – 26

Van Wormer Resort Tuna Shoot Out – Oct. 26

Halloween – Oct 31

November

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Nov. 1 – 2

Pelagic Rock Star Tuna Tournament – Nov. 1 – 3

Ironman Los Cabos 70.3 Half-Triathlon – Nov. 3

21st WON Tuna Jackpot – Nov. 6 – 9

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28

Los Cabos Film Festival – Nov. 13 – 17

52nd Annual Baja 1000 – Nov. 19 – 24

Sabor a Cabo International Food & Wine Festival – Nov. 30

 December

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Dec. 5, 12, 19, 26

Dressed to the K9s Charity Gala – Date Not Yet Announced

Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12

Official Start of Whale Watching Season – Dec. 15

Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24

Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25

Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31

January

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Los Cabos Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Cabo del Sol – Jan. 12 – 16

Tropic of Cancer Concert Series in Todos Santos – Jan. 15 – 19

 February

Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Feb. 1 – 8

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27

Todos Santos Artists’ Open Studios Tour – Feb. 7 – 9

San Jose del Cabo Jazz Weekend – Dates Not Yet Announced

21st Annual Baja Hog Rally – Dates Not Yet Announced

Carnaval in La Paz – Feb. 20 – 25

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Los Cabos Fishing Report – September 15, 2019

September 15, 2019 by Leave a Comment

September 15, 2019

Anglers –

At this time the weather conditions are calm, warm and humid. Tropical Storm Kiko is spinning off to the west, far away from any contact with land. Always the time of year when everyone is closely monitoring tropical storm develop from the south, this is also now the five year anniversary of the devastating Hurricane Odile. We are now watching developing of a new system developing below Acapulco, hopefully it moves on a path away from Southern Baja, we will know by late next week. With ocean water temperature now in the 83 to 86 degree range this can be favorable conditions for storms to gather strength.

Light crowds of tourists now, kind of an off season now, but right around the corner will be the busiest Fall period. Local charters have been fishing the grounds from off f Red Hill, Palmilla, to the Gordo Banks, Twenty Five Spot and Iman Bank. Supplies of sardinas were more limited this week, being found mainly schooling off the beach stretches towards San Luis. Caballito, Ballyhoo and slabs of squid have been other bait options, also lots of black skipjack and bolito on high spots. Highlight of the action has been the yellowfin tuna, best spot near the Twenty Five area, drift fishing with strips of quid or sardinas were the most successful methods used. Sizes ranged from 20 to 70 lb. some days tough to land one or two, other days five or more were possible. A bit finicky, as the majority of the fleet is concentrating on these grounds every day, including the charters from Buna Vista area.

Dorado were still scattered through these inshore grounds, though not in the numbers of previous weeks and again most of these fish are juvenile sized, under 5 lb., an occasional respectable sized. Wahoo were in the area, no consistent bite for these elusive fish, one day we will see a handful of fish, the next day nothings, they get more sluggish in these warmer water conditions.

Off the bottom there was a mix of snapper, pargo species, an occasional amberjack, dogtooth snapper, bonito and cabrilla. Using yo-yo jigs and various whole and cut baits off of the many rock piles, this bottom action is not producing many numbers of fish, all top quality eating and a few quality specimens..

Marin action was spread out and we did not have many anglers that were targeting the billfish, as the tuna action seemed more popular. We did see a couple of black, blue and striped marlin accounted for, as well as sailfish.

Off the shoreline, surf anglers reported a couple of snook and tripletail catches, these are the times when prized species can be found close to the shoreline, you have to know what you are doing and put in consistent efforts

The combined sportfishing fleet launching out of the panga area from Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out an estimated 55 charters for the week and anglers reported an approximate fish count of: 2 black marlin, 3 striped marlin, 3 sailfish, 2 blue marlin, 110 dorado, 14 wahoo, 115 yellowfin tuna, 3 dogtooth snapper, 8 leopard grouper, 25 Mexican bonito, 14 yellow snapper, 6 barred pargo, 3 pompano, 9 amberjack, 2 surgeonfish, 2 roosterfish and 28 triggerfish.

Good Fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

Filed Under: Cabo San Lucas Blog, Fishing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

High Stakes Fishing Season Heats Up in Los Cabos

September 11, 2019 by Leave a Comment

Who wants to be a millionaire? No, we’re not talking about a game show. We’re talking about Cabo San Lucas’ premier series of fishing tournaments, one of which–Bisbee’s Black & Blue–annually pays out cash prizes in the seven figure range. And wouldn’t you rather be fishing anyway?

Last year’s winner of the Black and Blue, angler Charlie Lee and his Chinito Bonito crew, took home a check for over $3,000,000 after landing a 510 lb. black marlin on the first day of the tournament, besting 113 other teams. This year, the stakes are expected to be even higher, with the world’s best big-game anglers descending on Cabo San Lucas during the month of October for the Black & Blue, as well as Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore. The latter, commonly known as “Little Bisbee’s”, is scheduled for October 17 – 20, with the Black & Blue, or “Big Bisbee’s”, following Oct. 22 – 26.

Bisbee’s actually hosts a trio of tournaments in Los Cabos each year. The first, the East Cape Offshore, traditionally kicks off the season in early August, and is generally a bellwether for participation and prizes when the headline events come around in October. And if that indicator holds true, this year is going to set new records across the board.

Team El Suertudo, which won the top prize at the 20th annual ECO with a 381 lb. blue marlin, was rewarded with a check for $619,800. That’s the largest winning payout in the history of the event, which each year draws world-class fishermen to Buena Vista on Los Cabos’ picturesque East Cape.

Topping the record at the Los Cabos Offshore may not be so easy, since it was just set in 2018–the 18th edition of that benchmark event–with over a million dollars in prize money doled out plus the chance to make a real difference for local families. That’s because the LCO has maintained its long-running commitment to charity, even as the prize money has increased dramatically in recent years. Last year, for instance, the equivalent of over 8600 meals was donated to those in need.

There’s no need to worry about charitable endeavors at the Black & Blue. This one is just for pride, everlasting glory and a big boatload of cash. That’s how it got its nicknames: “The World’s Richest Fishing Tournament” and “The Super Bowl of Fishing.”

The biggest of big-game tournaments, this marlin fishing tournament originally premiered in 1981 (when the purse was a mere $10,000), 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 the history of tournament fishing, although last year’s kitty of $3.693 was nothing to sneeze at, particularly since it only took team Chinito Bonito one hour and 37 minutes to boat their winning marlin.

We’re not real good at math, but that works out to somewhere around 2.4 million dollars per hour! In other words, good work if you can get it.

Base entry for this legendary event 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 standard of 300 pounds.

Got the picture? Good. Then we’ll repeat our first question. Who wants to be a millionaire? Remember, even if you don’t win the LCO or B&B, you still get to spend 10 in Cabo San Lucas, and go fishing for marlin on five of them. That’s definitely worth something.

We won’t mention second place, which in last year’s Black & Blue was a measly $544,250 dollars.

We will mention, however, the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament, which is the biggest non-Bisbee’s sponsored tournament in October, and fairly lucrative in its own right. Last year’s overall payout, after all, was a respectable $642,300.

This year’s version is scheduled for Oct. 13 – 17, so might as well tell your travel agent to go ahead and make that 14 days in Cabo San Lucas.

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 Event Calendar

September

Día de la Independencia (Mexican Independence Day) – Sep. 16

 October

Sammy Hagar Birthday Bashes at Cabo Wabo Cantina – Oct. 9, 11, 13

Los Cabos Billfish Tournament – Oct. 13 – 17

Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Tournament – Oct. 17 – 20

Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament – Oct. 22 – 26

Van Wormer Resort Tuna Shoot Out – Oct. 26

Halloween – Oct 31

November

Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) – Nov. 1 – 2

Pelagic Rock Star Tuna Tournament – Nov. 1 – 3

Ironman Los Cabos 70.3 Half-Triathlon – Nov. 3

21st WON Tuna Jackpot – Nov. 6 – 9

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28

Los Cabos Film Festival – Nov. 13 – 17

52nd Annual Baja 1000 – Nov. 19 – 24

Sabor a Cabo International Food & Wine Festival – Nov. 30

 December

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Dec. 5, 12, 19, 26

Dressed to the K9s Charity Gala – Date Not Yet Announced

Feast Day of the Virgin of Guadalupe – Dec. 12

Official Start of Whale Watching Season – Dec. 15

Nochebuena (Christmas Eve) – Dec. 24

Navidad (Christmas) – Dec. 25

Nochevieja (New Year’s Eve) – Dec. 31

January

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Jan. 2, 9, 16, 23, 30

Los Cabos Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Cabo del Sol – Jan. 12 – 16

Tropic of Cancer Concert Series in Todos Santos – Jan. 15 – 19

 February

Todos Santos Writers Workshop – Feb. 1 – 8

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27

Todos Santos Artists’ Open Studios Tour – Feb. 7 – 9

San Jose del Cabo Jazz Weekend – Dates Not Yet Announced

21st Annual Baja Hog Rally – Dates Not Yet Announced

Carnaval in La Paz – Feb. 20 – 25

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Los Cabos Fishing Report – September 8, 2019

September 8, 2019 by Leave a Comment

September 8, 2019

Tropical weather conditions now upon us, we are seeing on and off sporadic afternoon thunder showers, which are common during this month. The passing of Hurricane Juliette was barely felt, as it had followed a path far off to the west, humidity did increase and there was more afternoon southern breeze. Overall ocean conditions were favorable, moderate swells, though the wind did pick up later in the day. No new storm system on the horizon at this time, though with ocean water temperatures now ranging 80 to 86 degrees, we do need to watch forecasts closely the next few weeks. Light crowds of visitors now, normal slack period, as children are back in school and summer season winds down.

In recent days there have been quality sized sardinas being netted and brought down from the north, anglers are meeting these bait vendors on grounds such as La Fortuna and Iman Bank. Other bait options were slabs of squid, caballito, ballyhoo, as well as bolito and skipjack found on offshore grounds. These same grounds is where the most consistent action has been found for the past month and charters from East Cape are even making the long two hour run daily, guess they must have no better opportunities in closer proximity.

Main action has been for dorado and yellowfin tuna, an occasional wahoo, limited mix of bottom species and some scattered billfish action. Significant boat pressure on these same grounds and combined with large concentrations of natural food sources, the yellowfin tuna proved to be more finicky from day to day. Best chances for the tuna was with sardinas and strips of squid, a few also striking on larger baitfish. Catches ranged from one tuna, to over five per boat, sizes ranged from 15 to 70 lb., a lot of fish in the 20 to 60 lb. class.

More numbers of dorado were found a bit closer to shore than where the yellowfin bite was, still big numbers of very small sized dorado, with a smaller percentage of keeper sized dorado in the mix. Sardinas for bait was best bet, also trolling hoochies and feathers, as well as drift fishing with strips of squid.

Off the bottom the highlights were a few hog sized amberjack, up to 95 lb., one 57 kilo grouper hauled up by local hand liner. A scattering of pargo, pompano and triggerfish rounded out bottom action. A few smaller sized roosterfish were found trolling inshore stretches near the local marina.

Marlin anglers were limited, as more anglers were now targeting the tuna, though a couple of black  marlin hook ups were reported, big fish that ended up being lost after hours of battling. Some smaller sized blue and striped marlin were also reported, no big numbers, but every day these billfish are being encountered.

The combined sportfishing fleet launching out of the panga area from Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out an estimated 68 charters for the week and anglers reported an approximate fish count of: 6 striped marlin, 5 blue marlin, 275 dorado, 8 wahoo, 145 yellowfin tuna, 6 leopard grouper, 14 Mexican bonito, 15 yellow snapper, 8 barred pargo, 8 pompano, 15 amberjack, 12 roosterfish, 4 jack crevalle and 38 triggerfish.

Good Fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

Filed Under: Cabo San Lucas Blog, Fishing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Los Cabos Fishing Report September 1, 2019

September 1, 2019 by Leave a Comment

September 1, 2019

Since the passing of Tropical Storm IVO last week, where the Los Cabos region did receive some much needed rainfall without too high of wind, weather patterns have been stable, though just now there is a new T S Juliette brewing to the southwest, this system is forecast to follow a path further away from the Baja Peninsula new storms developing at this time. The next three weeks is historically the time frame with the highest chance of hurricanes striking Southern Baja, so we are all hoping that this year we do not have any disasters. We have felt a very slight cooling early morning, but days have been warm and humid with heat index over 100 degrees.

Starting last weekend there was decent action for yellowfin tuna up to 100 lb. on the Iman Bank. Through this week the bite became more sporadic, lots of boat pressure on this one area since this has been location where the best chances of catching nice fish has been. Boats from as far away as the East Cape are making the long run south to fish these same grounds. Drift fishing with strips of squid was the main deal, some limited availability of sardinas, the tuna also were hitting on the live caballito. Anglers were feeling fortunate to land just one yellowfin, a handful had as many as three, and average size were 35 to 60 lb. anglers had better success using leader material of 50 to 60 lb., many of the larger tuna were lost after extended battles. Also one black marlin estimated to be well over 400 lb. was battled for over three hours before finally being lost due to lighter leader.

Dorado were found a little closer to shore than were the tuna, off of Cardon, La Fortuna, Punta Gorda, many juvenile sized dorado in the area, had to search to find any over 10 lb. Overall numbers of dorado were down from previous weeks. Wahoo are in the area, as they were seen free swimming and feeding in the chum, though these fish proved finicky and only a few were actually landed, these fish can become sluggish when water temperature are over 80 degrees.

Off the bottom there was limited action for yellow snapper, red snapper, cabrilla, amberjack and triggerfish, more snapper on yo-yo jigs early in the day, after that tough pickings. Only a few roosterfish found trolling closer to shore, smaller sized, mixed in was an occasional jack crevalle, not much inshore trolling this time of year.

Billfish action also slowed down, more smaller sized striped marlin, a couple of larger black marlin that were lost after long battles. Weather is looking good for the time being, slight swells, warm blue water with lots of baitfish in the area so we are optimistic that reports will improve soon.

The combined sportfishing fleet launching out of the panga area from Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out an estimated 62 charters for the week and anglers reported an approximate fish count of: 5 striped marlin, 3 blue marlin, 185 dorado, 3 wahoo, 70 yellowfin tuna, 6 leopard grouper, 26 Mexican bonito, 14 yellow snapper, 4 barred pargo, 1 amberjack, 2 dogtooth snapper, 3 roosterfish, 5 jack crevalle and 38 triggerfish.

Good Fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

Filed Under: Cabo San Lucas Blog, Fishing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Los Cabos Fishing Report – August 18. 2019

August 18, 2019 by Leave a Comment

August 18, 2019

The word travels quickly these days, as more number of anglers were arriving after hearing about reports of yellowfin tuna finally biting, as well as wide open dorado and some blue marlin action. So we saw the sportfishing fishing were busier this past week, weather cooperated, light winds, moderate ocean swells, no tropical storms to deal with. There is a new system just developing off Southern Mexico, late next week we will know what happens with this, could finally get some measurable rainfall. This week the humidity increased, a couple of mornings we felt very light drizzle, did not amount to much at all. Ocean temperature ranged from 78 to 84 degrees.

Bait suppliers were still able to find the schooling sardinas just north of the marina jetty, also there were some caballito, slabs of squid and ballyhoo. Most charters were now working the fishing grounds from the Gordo Banks’ and north to Vinorama.

The best chance at the yellowfin tuna was inside of Iman Bank, near La Fortuna and the Twenty-five spot, anglers were have chances at one, two of three tuna up to 65 lb. Sometimes hard to keep away from schooling dorado which were on these same grounds, most were small sized and being released, though a few nicer fish mixed in. Outside of Cabo San Lucas we heard of a few cow sized yellowfin tuna and there were reports of some larger tuna seen on the Outer Gordo Banks, this time of year things can change rapidly.

Early morning there were a few snapper, cabrilla and amberjack accounted for on yo-yo jigs over the high pots, though with the calm, hot and humid conditions most anglers were wishing to move around some to cool off.

Blue marlin were hitting throughout the region, striking on trolled lures, a few striped marlin as well, we also heard of at least one 300 lb. black marlin that was landed from a small panga.
Most of the blue marlin we have seen were in the 120 to 250 lb. range.

Not much inshore action being done now, time of year that this action fades out. We did see a few dogtooth snapper this week, though these were found over same high spots where charters were drift fishing. A handful of pompano, bonito and yellow snapper were found off shallow rock piles.

 The combined sportfishing fleet launching out of the panga area from Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out an estimated 84 charters for the week and anglers reported an approximate fish count of: 1 black marlin, 13 striped marlin, 10 blue marlin, 420 dorado, 3 wahoo, 105 yellowfin tuna, 11 leopard grouper, 18 Mexican bonito, 16 yellow snapper, 3 barred pargo, 4 pompano, 11 amberjack, 3 dogtooth snapper, 5 roosterfish, 9 jack crevalle and 24 triggerfish.

Good Fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

Filed Under: Cabo San Lucas Blog, Fishing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Los Cabos Fishing Report – July 28, 2019

July 28, 2019 by Leave a Comment

July 28, 2019

Tropical conditions, high temperatures averaging 90 degrees, south wind early in the week, settling down over the weekend. There was the development of Tropical Storm Dalila, this system moved far to the west, no impact with land, though there was local tropical disturbances flaring up, early in the week over the mountainous region north of San Jose del Cabo and in La Paz, where they had major thunderstorms, it is now the time when this tropical actives increases.

There were moderate ocean swells and southern winds the first half of the week, this contributed to stirring up water conditions once again, greener currents along the shoreline, clean blue water found further offshore. Ocean temperature is now in the 78 to 85 degree range, off of San Jose and towards the north offshore, is where the water is now warmest.

Conditions are now cleaning up closer to shore, crazy how all through the month of July conditions were changing back and forth. It is now the season when things can change rapidly, both with the fishing action and the weather.

Bait vendors offered a mix of caballito, mullet, ballyhoo and slabs of squid. More open water trolling done offshore, with blue marlin strikes being reported daily, particularly around the 1150 spot, also some striped marlin and nicer sized dorado, to over 40 lb. Chances of finding porpoise with associated yellowfin tuna, though nothing consistent for tuna now, some local commercial pangeros found some yellowfin to 60 lb. north of Vinorama.

Closer to shore from Cardon to Vinorama there were good numbers of smaller school sized dorado, under 10 lb., some very small, remember catch and release on these small dorado, limits are two per license. As clean water moves closer to shore we expect some of the larger bulls to move in, now most of the larger dorado reported are out on the marlin grounds.

We had a surprise to see some activity by wahoo, handful of these speedsters were landed while trolling offshore waters, has been a while since we seen these fish, so that is a great sign. More looking for various surface action now, not much besides triggerfish and an occasional snapper or amberjack off the bottom now. Along the shore there were still roosterfish and jack crevalle, though that action became less consistent and actually more anglers are opting to target the dorado which has been the main bite for local charters.

The combined sportfishing fleet launching out of the panga area from Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out an estimated 66 charters for the week and anglers reported an approximate fish count of: 7 striped marlin, 4 blue marlin, 5 wahoo, 235 dorado, 24 yellowfin tuna, 9 leopard grouper, 32 Mexican bonito, 14 red snapper, 7 yellow snapper, 8 amberjack, 9 roosterfish, 15 jack crevalle and 85 triggerfish.

Good Fishing, Eric

—

GORDO BANKS PANGAS

Eric Brictson / Operator

619 488-1859

Los Cabos (624) 142-1147

e-mail:gordobanks@yahoo.com

WWW.GORDOBANKS.COM

Filed Under: Cabo San Lucas Blog, Fishing Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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