You are here: Home / Archives for Los Cabos Fishing

The Biggest Fishing Tournaments in Los Cabos in 2018

May 16, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Since the first resorts appeared in the late 1950s and early 1960s, anglers have been lured to the southernmost rim of the Baja California peninsula by the promise of abundant and enormous billfish. And in an inevitable sequence, where the fishermen have gone the tournaments have soon followed.

The Sea of Cortez Fishing Tournament Internacional was the first, but lasted only two years: 1968 and 1969. Perhaps its short-lived existence had something to do with the lack of a marina and an international airport (dredging on the former started in Cabo San Lucas in 1973; the latter was completed in San Jose del Cabo in 1977), but in any case, more tournaments sprung up soon afterwards, and they’ve continued to appear regularly ever since.

Bisbee’s Black & Blue remains the benchmark, the longest continually operated annual tournament in the region, and the richest. But every year now – from early June to early November – competitive types can get all the big-game fishing action their hearts (or more likely, their wallets) can handle.

Here are the five biggest fishing tournaments scheduled in Los Cabos in 2018:

Cabo Summer Slam/Pelagic Triple Crown of Fishing Tournament

 Much of the summer tournament action is centered around the Los Cabos municipality’s beautiful, less developed East Cape, but Cabo San Lucas is always a focal point when it comes to the biggest sponsors and most lucrative payouts. That’s certainly true of what qualifies as the first major tournament of the 2018 season, the Cabo Summer Slam, AKA the Pelagic Triple Crown of Fishing.

Pelagic, a Newport Beach based company, is one of the world’s leaders when it comes to lifestyle apparel and high-performance gear associated with watersports like fishing, boating, diving and surfing. So it’ll come as no surprise that the Cabo Summer Slam offers some high stakes prizes and jackpots. Over $200,000 is on the line for the 5th annual tournament in 2018 – slated for June 7 to 9 – meaning it’s the biggest Cabo San Lucas based tournament until Bisbee’s big money competitions in October.

Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore

As summer temperatures heat up, the fishing tournament scene migrates to the Los Cabos municipality’s gorgeous East Cape. No less than two separate single-day tournaments – the East Cape Dorado Shootout and Gold Cup Wahoo Jackpot – give away new fully-loaded automobiles to winners, but the region’s summer headliner remains the Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore.

The ECO is the first of three Bisbee’s sponsored fishing tournaments that take place in Los Cabos each year. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top three qualifiers in marlin, tuna and dorado categories during the 2018 edition – scheduled for July 31 to August 4 – with the awards celebration taking place afterwards at the Hotel Buena Vista. Base entry for the event is $1500 per team, with additional fees for daily jackpots. Prize money is based on entry fees received, with 60% going to the billfish winners, and 20% each to top tuna and dorado anglers.

Los Cabos Billfish Tournament

 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 $4,735,000 to the winners. The 20th annual LCBT – slated for October 14 to 18 – again features 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.

Bisbee’s Black & Blue

Oft billed as “The World’s Richest Fishing Tournament” and “The Super Bowl of Sportfishing” thanks to its million dollar payouts, the Black & Blue 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.). The 38th annual Bisbee’s Black & Blue will take place Oct. 23 to 27.

WON Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot 

The Western Outdoor News has a long history with Los Cabos, dating back to the 1950s, when Baja columnist Ray Cannon’s rave fishing reviews helped put the area on the destination travel map. Cannon’s 1966 book The Sea of Cortez remains a classic time capsule look at the region and its signature activity, and the WON writers who’ve followed him on the Baja beat have continued to burnish Los Cabos’ reputation as a sportfishing mecca. The WON Tuna Jackpot honors that heritage with one of the larger fishing tournaments in Cabo San Lucas, a fixture of the autumn sporting calendar that follows hard on the heels of the Los Cabos Billfish and Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore and Black & Blue tournaments. The 19th edition in 2017 saw 147 teams competing across 11 events for over $677,000 in prize money. Even bigger things are yet to come, with the 2018 tournament scheduled for November 7 to 10.

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 courtesy of Bisbee’s.

Upcoming Event Calendar

May

483rd La Paz Foundation Festival – May 3 – 5

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Cinco de Mayo – May 5

Día de la Madre (Mother’s Day) – May 10

3rd Annual Paella Contest at Sheraton Grand – May 19

Gastrovino Food & Wine Festival – May 19 – 20

White Party at ME Cabo and Blue Marlin Ibiza – May 26

Rancho Pescadero Yoga, Surf & Nutrition Retreat – May 30 – June 2

June

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

July

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

East Cape Gold Cup Wahoo Jackpot Fishing Tournament – Aug. 25

 September

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

 October

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

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

 

 

 

Filed Under: Cabo San Lucas Blog Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
May 13, 2018 by Leave a Comment

May 13, 2018

We continue to see lighter than normal crowds of tourists for this time of year. As we move closer towards the summer season the weather patterns are now progressively warming, mostly clear sunny skies, with some marine layer offshore at times, average morning lows of about 70 degrees with the highs in the mid to upper 80s. Actually great climate now, plenty warm, but not overwhelming, as it can become during peak summer time. With light crowds, ideal weather and a variety of fishing options it is now the perfect time to visit.

As usual we are dealing with unpredictable and rapidly changing ocean conditions during this transition period. Ocean currents have been sweeping in from different directions, at times turning the water a bit greenish, but this is the common scenario in May. Ocean temperatures have ranged from 67 degree on the Pacific side of Cabo San Lucas, up to 78 degrees in the direction of Los Frailes. Winds were moderate this past week, picking up a bit stronger late week, but overall much nicer than the previous week.

Anglers were able to obtain sufficient supplies of sardinas, also some caballito, mullet and chihuil baitfish being used. The most productive fishing grounds locally continue to be from La Fortuna to Iman Bank. This is where both the sporadic bottom action for various snapper, pargo species were found, as well as yellowfin tuna on the surface, tuna bite was dead to start off the week, picking up again on Thursday and Friday. The yellowfin were striking mainly on the sardinas, using 40 to 50 lb. leaders, some boats landed up to three fish in the 15 to 55 lb. range. Only a handful of smaller sized dorado were seen and reports of a few wahoo seen or possible missed strikes, none actually landed that we heard about, except from East Cape charters fishing closer to Los Frailes.

There was a day or two early in the week when there were reports of amberjack and some yellowtail found feeding near the surface off of Palmilla Point, but that action disappeared as fast as it had developed. For the most part the better bottom action was found from the Gordo Banks, where if you could chum up some chihuil baits, these were working well off the high spot for leopard grouper and others, if the sea lions were not too aggressive. Closer to shore off of Cardon and La Fortuna anglers found good early morning action for yellow snapper, with some leopard grouper and an occasional amberjack mixed n. Most of this bottom action was on bait, only limited success now on the yo-yo jigs.

Billfish action was scattered, only a few striped marlin being found scattered offshore, no particular hot spot. Inshore there were more numbers of smaller sized roosterfish showing up, also good action on sierra closer to the Pacific and of course some jack crevalle actively patrolling the shoreline. In the coming weeks we do expect to see greater concentrations of mullet to show and this in turn attracts the trophy sized roosterfish, as well as other pargo, snapper and jack species.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 66 charters for this week. Anglers reported a fish count of: 3 striped marlin, 4 dorado, 26 yellowfin tuna, 45 yellow snapper, 7 surgeon fish, 28 spotted rose snapper, 23 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 15 huachinango (red snapper), 12 bonito, 9 amberjack, 5 yellowtail, 11 barred pargo, 34 roosterfish, 8 jack crevalle, 8 sierra, 15 flag cabrilla, 8 grunt and 90 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

https://cabosanlucasblog.info/2849-2/

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

Los Cabos Fishing Report May 6, 2018

May 6, 2018 by Leave a Comment

May 6, 2018

Lighter crowds of tourists now, the climate has been very pleasant, though we are dealing with spring season transition period. Which can see rapidly changing weather patterns move in and out of the region. Last week we had great ocean conditions and the yellowfin tuna action on the Iman Bank was very good, many quality fish in the 30 to 70 pound class were landed, with even some reaching the 100 lb. mark;

This week began just fine, with some nice yellowfin tuna still being landed off of the Iman Bank, even a couple of yellowtail over 30 lb. Though by Tuesday the north winds kicked up and continued through most of the week. This stirred up conditions, pushing in off colored currents, though water temperatures still remained in the 74/75 degree range. With the wind there was also more ocean swell and this made it a bit more challenging for the commercial pangeros to net sardinas off of the shore near Vinorama, though overall they were able to find sufficient supplies. Other bait options were caballito out of the marina area, still no signs of the annual migration of mullet or moonfish showing up.

With the tuna bite coming to a standstill the charter boats were now scouting out other options, which proved to be limited at this time. Offshore there was only sporadic reports of marlin being seen. The better option seemed to be working shallow rocky reefs for a mix of bottom species, though most of these were smaller sized fish in the 2 to 15 lb. range. All good eating, just not consistent from spot to spot. Most common were yellow snapper, bonito, leopard grouper, spotted rose snapper, barred pargo and an occasional yellowtail or amberjack. A mix of yo-yo jigs and bait were used off the bottom, but bait was a bit more productive most days.

Close to shore there were just a few smaller sized sierra found, a handful of small roosterfish and jack crevalle. We do expect that after this weather front moves though this weekend that conditions will rebound and the all-around action will improve. It is not uncommon to have these type of patterns during this time frame. It keeps the climate very comfortable, but does not help the fishing stay on track.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 74 charters for this week. Anglers reported a fish count of: 2 striped marlin, 3 dorado, 16 yellowfin tuna, 38 yellow snapper, 22 spotted rose snapper, 25 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 11 huachinango (red snapper), 58 bonito, 6 amberjack, 83 yellowtail, 18 barred pargo, 2 roosterfish, 6 jack crevalle, 16 sierra, 22 flag cabrilla, 6 surgeon fish, 6 grunt and 80 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 – April 30, 2018

April 29, 2018 by Leave a Comment

April 29, 2018

The is late spring season now, weather patterns can change quickly, as we witnessed, when last week was cooler and now we are feeling the year’s heat wave of sorts. Calm winds, with warming ocean temperatures, now averaging in the 71 to 74 degree range. Still some strong currents running through the region, as one day the ocean was much bluer and then in the same area the next day it could be a little greenish. Also some serious marine layer fog to deal with north of San Jose del Cabo mid-week.

The great thing in recent days has been that the yellowfin tuna on the Iman Bank are now very active, most all of these fish have been in the 25 to 60 lb. class. Sardinas has been the bait of choice, a couple of different varieties and these bait have been available on a daily basis. Some anglers reported success on strips of squid and at times live caballito or chihuil were working. Lots of pressure on these fishing grounds now, as this is the best local action now happening and everyone wants to get in the action. Through the week charters were doing well, averaging from two to six yellowfin per boat, with many other hook ups being lost, due to various reasons, including seas lions, sharks and cut lines from having to use lighter leaders because the fish were more shy and finicky. Tuna could be seen boiling and jumping clear out of the water, very exciting action.

Besides the yellowfin tuna there was not all that much going on, except mid-week there were a couple of days of good striped marlin action being encountered on the same grounds where the tuna were schooling. Some nice sized stripers up to 140 lb. were landed.

Off the bottom there was limited action, part of the reason being that almost all charters were now targeting the tuna bite. There were a handful of yellowtail, amberjack, leopard grouper and other species accounted for when working the bottom with iron jigs and larger baits.

Inshore the main action reported were jack crevalle, some up to 25 lb. plus, a few sierra and smaller sized roosterfish. Schools of the clear type of sardinas were found just north of the Puerto Los Cabos Marina jetty and anglers fishing from the shore reported some decent action on halibut to over ten pounds, also several corvina to 25 lb.

As this summer like weather continues we expect the water temperature to warm even faster and this in turn will bring in more schools of baitfish, with a wide variety of gamefish following closely.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 85 charters for this week. Anglers reported a fish count of: 17 striped marlin, 245 yellowfin tuna, 16 yellow snapper, 13 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 18 huachinango (red snapper), 34 bonito, 9 amberjack, 8 yellowtail, 7 barred pargo, 8 roosterfish, 18 jack crevalle, 5 sierra, 18 flag cabrilla, 15 grunt and 30 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 – April 23, 2018

April 22, 2018 by Leave a Comment

April 22, 2018

Lighter crowds continued, as well as unpredictable and rapidly changing weather patterns. Ocean conditions which had turned over are now rebounding, cleaner currents are pushing back in and the water temperatures have warmed back up in to the 71 to 75 degree range.

Through the first half of the week there was no surface action going on, with the only action being found being off the bottom for a variety of species, but also hit or miss from spot to spot. The highlight was a few grouper up to 40 lb., yellowtail to 30 lb. and amberjack to 50 lb. They were using various baits and some yo-yo style jigs. Some days the winds made it tougher to reach the more productive fishing grounds.

On Thursday conditions started to improve, with a handful of yellowfin tuna to over 40 lb. being accounted for, they were found between San Luis and north of Vinorama. Using sardinas was the best deal. Most days these batfish were available, On Friday the tuna bite was even better, the best spot was near San Luis Bank. The yellowfin were in the 20 to 40 lb. class, most all charters that targeted the tuna were landing at least a few fish, some charters had as many as ten tuna.

We did not see any dorado, besides a few small fish, though some wahoo were seen and even hooked into, but they were not landed. There were still quite a few whales being spotted, despite it being late season now for these mammals. Early in the week there was some form of krill hatch going on and the whales and big groups of manta rays were seen getting involved in this feeding frenzy.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 70 charters for this week. Anglers reported a fish count of: 3 striped marlin, 6 dorado, 46 yellowfin tuna, 2 broomtail grouper, 30 yellow snapper, 22 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 15 huachinango (red snapper), 2 dogtooth snapper, 82 bonito, 9 amberjack, 4 yellowtail, 14 barred pargo, 2 roosterfish, 8 jack crevalle, 14 sierra, 18 flag cabrilla, 4 surgeon fish, 55 spotted rose snapper and 110 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: , , ,

The 6th Annual Los Cabos Open of Surf and the Evolution of Baja Surf Culture

April 18, 2018 by Leave a Comment

When the Transpeninsular Highway was completed in 1973, surfers were among the first to explore Baja by car and bus, seeking out hidden beaches and long rumored surf breaks. The legendary spots were there, particularly in Baja California Sur, where great surf spots proliferated from Todos Santos around the southern rim to Los Cabos’ gorgeous East Cape.

Over the past forty-five years, however, the face of surf culture has changed in Los Cabos. Instead of trekking 1,000 miles by VW bus, today’s older, more affluent surfers are more likely to fly in and to eschew camping for luxurious surf-friendly resorts (The Cape Hotel and Cabo Surf Hotel being the two most notable) and well-appointed rental villas located near celebrated surf breaks like Monuments and Zippers.

For those who don’t like to fly with their boards, there are rental shops and guided surfaris to Cerritos and San Pedrito on the Pacific Coast, or more secluded East Coast breaks like Shipwrecks and Nine Palms. At least one local company offers lessons from a former Mexican national champion, and a famous regional five-star resort has partnered with big-wave legend Laird Hamilton on an apparel line.

Given its increasing popularity as a retirement site for former surf professionals, it should come as no surprise that there are also World Surf League sponsored surfing events held annually on the Baja California peninsula. One is a Big Wave Tour event off Todos Santos Island near Ensenada. The other is the Los Cabos Open of Surf, which is held each June at Zippers, a surf break at Playa Costa Azul in San Jose del Cabo.

When it premiered in 2013, the Los Cabos Open of Surf was a 6-star men’s event under the ASP (the forerunner to the WSL). Women joined the fun in 2014, and since 2015, the LCOS has been a QS 6000 event solely for women and junior men and women. The 2018 competition is scheduled for June 11 – 17, and like events in previous years, will be a celebration of all aspects of surf culture, from beach parties and culinary fetes to nightly entertainment featuring DJs and live musical performers.

Brazilian Silvana Lima is the defending women’s champion at the Los Cabos Open of Surf, while Hawaiian Summer Macedo and Barbadian Che Allan are the defending junior champions. The surfing action all takes place at Zippers, one of three well-known surf breaks at Playa Costa Azul (the others are the beginner-friendly Middle Break and the expert-level La Roca, which like Zippers is a right-hand reef break).

Neighboring beaches Acapulquito and Costa Azul are the center of the surf scene in Los Cabos, but Playa Monumentos (or Monuments) is also a prime attraction, with the added benefit of being the closest to Cabo San Lucas. In fact, views of El Arco and the other granite monuments at Land’s End are visible for those with enough ability to test Monuments tricky left-hand point break. It is actually one of the few left turning breaks (from the point of view of the surfer) in an area renowned for its abundance of great right-hand rides.

Surfable waves may be found on a year-round basis in Los Cabos and its environs, but there are two major seasons: summer for beaches on the Sea of Cortez side, winter for the Pacific Coast meccas near Todos Santos. To find out more about surf-friendly rental villas, or for more information about events and activities 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 the Los Cabos Open of Surf.

Upcoming Event Calendar

April

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

Chocolate & Cocktails Festival at Café des Artistes – April 5 – 15

Paws n’ Claws Golf Tournament and Dinner – April 8

Sabores de Baja Festival in Miraflores – April 15

NORRA Mexican 1000 – April 20 – 26

Los Cabos Culinary Awards – April 25

2018 Taco Fest Los Cabos at Casa Dorada – April 28

 May

483rd La Paz Foundation Festival – May 3 – 5

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Cinco de Mayo – May 5

Día de la Madre (Mother’s Day) – May 10

Gastrovino Food & Wine Festival – May 19 – 20

White Party at ME Cabo and Blue Marlin Ibiza – May 26

Rancho Pescadero Yoga, Surf & Nutrition Retreat – May 30 – June 2

June

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

July

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

East Cape Gold Cup Wahoo Jackpot Fishing Tournament – Aug. 25

 September

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

 October

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

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

 

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

Los Cabos Fishing Report – April 15, 2018

April 15, 2018 by Leave a Comment

April 15, 2018

We did notice lighter crowds this past week. Visitors were greeted by cooler weather patterns, which started with winds switching from out of the south last Sunday, continuing through the first part of the week. This pushed in cold Pacific currents which turned over the ocean as far north as Los Frailes, green colored water and dropped water temperatures into the 67 degree range. Of course this did not help the surface fishing action much at all, basically shutting down the tuna and marlin bite, though the all-around climate was nice, lows of about 60 degrees and highs up to 80 degrees. Typical spring time conditions during this transition period.

Anglers found that sardinas were scattered as well, some of the clear type of sardinas which are used for dead baits, also some rigged ballyhoo, a few caballito. The best action found was for shallow structure species, using various baits, as well as more fish starting to strike on yo-yo jigs, particularly the bonito and leopard grouper, a few amberjack and yellowtail.

Last Sunday the yellowfin action was very good north of Vinorama and a few were caught on Monday as well, these were fish in the 30 to 60 lb. class. Since then the cold green water has shut this action down and now we are waiting patiently for the conditions to rebound. In the meantime the best bet has been to concentrate on bottom species over the various rock piles. The red crabs also were less active, but the fish were starting to strike the yo-yo jigs better. Several yellowtail up to 30 lb. were accounted for, a handful of amberjack, a variety of snapper and pargo and quite a few leopard grouper in the 5 to 18 lb. range. All very good eating fish.

Along the shoreline there were sierra, jack crevalle and an occasional roosterfish, this action was spotty though, but if you were at the right place at the right time there were some nice fish found.

Billfish, dorado, wahoo were not in the picture at all, with the exception of a few striped marlin and dorado early in the week before conditions completely changed.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 66 charters for this week. Anglers reported a fish count of: 2 striped marlin, 5 dorado, 18 yellowfin tuna, 32 yellow snapper, 20 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 42 huachinango (red snapper), 125 bonito, 7 amberjack,  9 yellowtail, 22 barred pargo, 6 roosterfish, 10 jack crevalle, 35 sierra, 1 halibut, 12 grunt, 15 flag cabrilla, 7 island jack, 6 surgeon fish, 65 spotted rose snapper and 90 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 Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Pelagic Sponsors 5th Annual Cabo Summer Slam This June

April 11, 2018 by Leave a Comment

Fishing in Los Cabos is a year-round proposition. There is no bad time to cast into the local waters, just variability in terms of what one might expect to catch.

But what might be called the Cabo fishing tournament season – the period when visiting anglers are not only seeking fish, but also cash money and valuable prizes – begin in early June and continues through early November. This five-month stretch sees a host of tournaments, large and small, and not coincidentally comes during the time of year when huge billfish like blue and black marlin are most abundant.

Much of the summer tournament action is centered around the Los Cabos municipality’s beautiful, less developed East Cape, but Cabo San Lucas is always a focal point when it comes to the biggest sponsors and most lucrative payouts. That’s certainly true of what qualifies as the first major tournament of the 2018 season, the Cabo Summer Slam, AKA the Pelagic Triple Crown of Fishing.

Pelagic, a Newport Beach based company, is one of the world’s leaders when it comes to lifestyle apparel and high-performance gear associated with watersports like fishing, boating, diving and surfing. So it’ll come as no surprise that the 5th annual Cabo Summer Slam, slated for June 7 – 9, offers some high stakes prizes and jackpots. Over $200,000 is on the line in 2018, meaning it’s the biggest Cabo San Lucas based tournament until Bisbee’s big money competitions in October.

This is a bet big, win big scenario. General entry is $2,500 for tournament teams, or $12,500 to cover base entry plus all daily jackpots. Participating fishermen will be targeting the usual suspects: marlin (blue, black and striped), sailfish, tuna, dorado and wahoo; but prizes are spread across four divisions.

Prizes will be given to teams that catch and release the most aggregate billfish points, and to those weighing the heaviest two-fish total of each gamefish species – tuna, wahoo and dorado – during the two-day tournament. As with most local tournaments, however, the biggest money is paid out in jackpots. Numbers will be announced at the post-tournament awards ceremony, which along with the after-party will be held at Baja Cantina on the Cabo San Lucas Marina.

The Cabo Summer Slam is the first of five major tournaments in Los Cabos this summer. The others are the Stars & Stripes (Jun. 28 – Jul. 1), which pairs fishing with golf, music and beach days to benefit charities for children; the East Cape Dorado Shootout (Jul. 21) and East Cape Gold Cup Wahoo Jackpot (Aug. 25), which both give away new fully-loaded automobiles, among other prizes; and Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore (Jul. 31 – Aug. 4), the first of Bisbee’s annual trio of cash-rich tournaments in Los Cabos, which culminate with the Los Cabos Offshore and Black & Blue in October.

In addition to its seriously large payouts, the Cabo Summer Slam also offers an opportunity to test one’s mettle against some of the finest game fish in the world. Blue and black marlin are the gold standard of Los Cabos fishing, with the biggest specimens caught locally weighing out at around 1,000 pounds. Sailfish, by contrast, rarely weigh more than 200 lbs., but they too are a magnificent test, as at top speeds of 68 mph they are faster through the water than a cheetah on dry land.

Wahoo are also fierce fighters and delicious to boot, nearly as good to eat as dorado and tuna, the signature Los Cabos food fish. Dorado, better known as mahi-mahi (West Coast) or dolphinfish (East Coast) in the U.S., are a true local delicacy – one splashed across the menus of all the best local seafood restaurants – and yellowfin and much rarer bluefin tuna are prized not only by local fishermen but local sushi chefs as well.

Discounts are available for those who register for the Pelagic Triple Crown of Fishing – Cabo Summer Slam by May 1st. 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 courtesy of Pelagic.

Upcoming Event Calendar

April

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

Chocolate & Cocktails Festival at Café des Artistes – April 5 – 15

Paws n’ Claws Golf Tournament and Dinner – April 8

Sabores de Baja Festival in Miraflores – April 15

NORRA Mexican 1000 – April 20 – 26

Los Cabos Culinary Awards – April 25

2018 Taco Fest Los Cabos at Casa Dorada – April 28

May

483rd La Paz Foundation Festival – May 3 – 5

Art Walk in San Jose del Cabo – May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Cinco de Mayo – May 5

Día de la Madre (Mother’s Day) – May 10

Gastrovino Food & Wine Festival – May 19 – 20

White Party at ME Cabo and Blue Marlin Ibiza – May 26

Rancho Pescadero Yoga, Surf & Nutrition Retreat – May 30 – June 2

June

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

July

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

East Cape Gold Cup Wahoo Jackpot Fishing Tournament – Aug. 25

September

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

October

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

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

 

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

Los Cabos Fishing Report – April 8, 2018

April 8, 2018 by Leave a Comment

April 8, 2018

As spring break now winds down we have noticed that crowds of tourists are lighter. Great time to visit now, as weather conditions are ideal, clear sunny skies, light winds, with high temperatures up in the 85 degree range. Early mornings were still a little chilly, down to 59 degrees, warming quickly as the sun rose. Still quite a few whales being seen, despite now being late in the season for them.

Most local sportfishing charters are now concentrating on the fishing grounds from La Fortuna, Iman Bank and towards Vinorama. Supplies of sardinas have become more scattered, with the other type of clear sardina being more common, these do not stay alive well, but do work dead for the yellowfin tuna and other species. In recent days the yellowfin tuna action was very spotty around the Iman Bank, the tuna could be seen often breezing and feeding on the surface, but were very finicky, the few yellowfin that were actually landed weighed in the 25 to 50 lb. class. There were some new reports of some charters heading further north, past Vinorama and finding some more cooperative tuna on those grounds.

Dorado were also much scarcer this past week, though we did see a couple of fish up in the 20 lb. range. Water temperature was averaging about 73 degrees and clarity was up and down, with very strong currents moving through, one day it could be more greenish, and then it would clear backup on others.

Striped marlin were still being found, but they have moved further offshore searching for their favored food source. Rigged ballyhoo, lures and skipjack were being used with varying results.

Perhaps the highlight of the week was the pelagic red crabs making a strong showing on local grounds, from the Gordo Banks to Iman Bank. Appearing on the surface in masses and being scooped up and in return used for baiting up the red snapper, or locally referred to as the huachinango, prized eating, the true Pacific red snapper, ranging in sizes up to 12 lb. Scrappy fighters on light tackle as well. A very popular and valued commercial species, so everyone is now out in force taking advantage of this event as long as it continues. This is a deal that can end on any given day.

Other bottom action included a mix of amberjack, leopard grouper, yellow snapper, barred pargo, surgeon fish, bonito and triggerfish. More reports of action being found on yo-yo jigs, as well as drift fishing with bait. Though strong currents made this type of fishing much more challenging, will be much improved when these swift currents do slack up.

Inshore action was limited, not many sierra and a few mostly smaller sized roosterfish. No sign of the annual migration of mullet yet, still a little early in the season for that.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 81 charters for this week. Anglers reported a fish count of: 18 striped marlin, 13 dorado, 68 yellowfin tuna, 22 yellow snapper, 23 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 310 huachinango (red snapper), 95 bonito, 14 amberjack, 4 island jack, 9 surgeon fish, 15 barred pargo, 4 broomtail grouper, 14 roosterfish, 16 sierra and 155 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 – April 1, 2018

April 1, 2018 by Leave a Comment

April 1, 2018

Busy week locally, spring break is now for Mexico, schools are in recess for two weeks, This weekend is the popular holiday when people all head to various beaches, wherever they can find room, many of these families go for extended camping excursions. Many local businesses shut down to take time off, hard to find too many people who work this weekend. Also we saw quite a few tourists arriving, many of them tried to book late notice sportfishing charters.

First half of the week was plagued by stiff north winds, though for the weekend conditions calmed down, early mornings once again were down into the low 50s, but as the sun rose into clear skies, temperatures quickly warmed up close to 80 degrees, excellent all around climate now. The main choice for bait now has been sardinas, they are being found schooling near Palmilla, Cabo Real and the north near San Luis, surf was a little higher earlier in the week and this made it harder to get the bait off of the beaches to the north. On some days the pelagic red crabs were found drifting to the surface and these crustaceans were being used for various pargo and snapper species. Though this was a sporadic deal from day to day. Ocean water temperatures ranged from 71 to 74 degrees. Still some whales being sighted each day, likely the final couple week period now for this, as these mammals will be all heading north soon.

The main concentration of sport fishing charters were fishing the La Fortuna, the twenty-five spot, just on the inside of Iman Bank, this is where the yellowfin tuna are now schooling. These fish have been at this spot for several weeks now, seem to become more finicky each week, between the crowds of boats, pesky sea lions and the plentiful natural food source these yellowfin are very leery to strike any batfish with a hook, anglers are using 20 to 30 lb. leaders to enhance their chances, so once a fish is hooked it is a delicate battle to be able to land it. The average sized tuna being landed are in the 20 to 50 lb. range, though even larger sized yellowfin were reportedly seen feeding on the free chummed sardinas. Individual charters were doing well to land one or two tuna during a morning trip, other charters worked hard without ever even having any opportunity.

These same grounds produced a mix of bottom structure species, not many large monsters, mostly fish in the 5 to 15 lb. class, leopard grouper, yellow snapper, bonito, triggerfish, huachinango, amberjack, island jack, barred pargo and others. The best technique proved to be with fresh sardinas, with a few fish also taken on yo-yo jigs.

The striped marlin bite was good now, a bit more scattered this week, as the balls of baitfish that were being found dispersed and the marlin were found more moving onto to different grounds. The striper’s ranged nicer sized, up to150 lb., striking on trolled lures, rigged ballyhoo, bolito, skipjack and chihuil. With most of the billfish action coming within 3 to 8 miles from shore.

Numbers of dorado were down this week, though there still were some of these gamefish hanging around, we saw fish up to 15 lb. accoutered for. Even a chance at wahoo, though not many were landed, more of these fish should start biting when the water temperatures warms up, as it does the later part of April.

Not much talk of inshore action now, a few roosterfish and sierra, but no numbers and actually more anglers are now targeting the more prevalent offshore species.

The combined panga fleets launching out of La Playita, Puerto Los Cabos Marina sent out approximately 84 charters for this week. Anglers reported a fish count of: 3 wahoo, 37 dorado, 42 striped marlin, 36 yellowfin tuna, 38 yellow snapper, 29 cabrilla (leopard grouper), 32 huachinango (red snapper), 35 bonito, 4 amberjack, 6 island jack. 16 barred pargo, 2 dogtooth snapper, 5 roosterfish, 23 sierra and 135 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: , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »