With four sportfishing tournaments on the calendar, October is really all about fishing in Los Cabos and Cabo San Lucas. For sport anglers looking to test their skills, southern Baja offers world-class tournament fishing with the most money to be won that just about anywhere else and becoming a millionaire could be just a marlin catch away. The Bisbee’s Black and Blue paid out over $4 million last year and this year could be even more.
Cabo San Lucas Fishing
Los Cabos and in particular Cabo San Lucas, water conditions are ideal for gamefish. The tropical currents bring nutrient rich waters that attract squid and small bait fish like sardines, anchovies and mackerel close to the coast and submerged banks. This plentiful supply of food then attracts the larger predators like tuna, dorado, and marlin which swim up into the Sea of Cortez to feed and to spawn. Other fish species include roosterfish, pargo, jacks, yellowtail, Spanish mackerel, pompano, wahoo, and sailfish.
Cabo is acknowledged as the marlin capital of the world because more marlin are caught here than any other part of the world. As a nod to this status, Villa Sombrero boast beautiful marlin-embossed entry doors. We were wondering if one of the original owners of the house was a sports fisherman and chose the doors. We also recently purchased two beautiful wood carvings of a marlin and a sailfish to fill up a couple of alcoves in the entry atrium.
The Upcoming 2011 Fishing Tournaments
The first event on the calendar is the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament from October 11 – 15, 2011. It is a three-day big-fish team event with top honors going to the team that tallies the most points per pound during the tournament and pays down to third place (first, second and third). A release trophy and cash prize will also be awarded to the boat releasing the most eligible billfish. This is the first divisional tournament in Los Cabos that includes a release division for billfish and with high prize payouts it gives credibility to the idea that events that support conservation are worth considering.
Next up is the Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore from October 14 – 16, 2011 which takes place a few days before the main event, the multi-million dollar Bisbee’s Black and Blue from October 18 – 22, 2011 . Many teams that fish the Black and Blue will also take part in the Offshore so it is regarded as a “warm-up” event. The Black and Blue tournament takes it’s name from black marlin and blue marlin that are the target of the tournament but striped marlin are also prevalent in the local waters. Only marlin over 300 lbs can be eligible so any which do not meet the weight requirements must be released back into the sea. Having grown in fame since it’s start in 1981, he event is televised and attracts sports media from all around the world and boasts of having “fishing’s most spectacular “Shotgun Start” from the Baja Cantina Beach Club on Medano Beach”.
As October draws to a close, the last tournament of the month is the Puerto Los Cabos World Cup with three days of fishing. There are dual starts from Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Los Cabos as well as golf and a rock ‘n roll concert with some major names!
The WON Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot falls just outside of October from November 2 – 5, 2011. The tournament slogan is “Fish hard, party harder” which is some indication that the draw is not just the fishing with parties each night and other cash prizes and drawings including $100,000. With an entry fee of $800 this is considered the tournament the “average joe” can participate in.
Accommodation
If you’ll be visiting Cabo San Lucas to participate in one of the deep-sea fishing tournaments and are looking for accommodation, renting a private villa can be a good option if you are traveling with other members of your fishing team. Villa Sombrero is a vacation rental villa with four separate Master Suites that offer privacy together with large, comfortable living and dining spaces for shared meals or hanging out with a drink after a long day on the water. This really is the perfect setup for a group of guys traveling together and at just 4 miles to town is convenient for early morning “shotgun” starts from Medano Beach, hotel Tesoro and kick-off and cocktail parties around town.
If all you want to focus on is fishing then let us take care of the details like transfers, stocking the villa with food and beverages and organizing charters.
Look forward to seeing you down in Cabo!
