by Colin Sarfeh
Take a look back at the Pelagic Pro Team in action from year's past in the Striped Marlin Capital of the World - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Black, Blue and Striped Marlin, Sailfish, Yellowfin Tuna, Wahoo, Dorado, Roosterfish, and much more are the bounty of Cabo and have beckoned fishermen from all reaches of the earth to experience sport fishing at it's finest.
To most, Cabo San Lucas is just another tropical vacation destination. You can sip Coronas on the beach, drink margaritas and piña coladas by the pool, or party with Sammy Hagar at Cabo Wabo into the wee hours of the night. But why not do all that, and experience some of the best sport fishing the Pacific has to offer? After all, Cabo is – The Gateway to Sport Fishing Paradise.
Cabo San Lucas rests at the very lower tip of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Its iconic landmark “El Arco” stands just past the mouth of Marina Cabo San Lucas and symbolizes the “gateway” to which fishermen start and end their day. Once past Land’s End, your fishing options are endless. Head straight out to the fertile offshore waters, north to the Golden Gate Bank, or east to the Sea of Cortez to add some variety to your fishing. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
Below: A typical Cabo San Lucas sunrise.
A short run offshore will lead you into a path to encounter wahoo, dorado, yellowfin tuna to over 300-pounds, sailfish, and a trifecta of marlin species – black, blue, and striped. At any time during the year, most of these game fish can be caught, but typically July through October offers the best chance to get your “grand slam” of all species.
Below: Incredible underwater photos of a Dorado and Sailfish from renowned underwater photographer Tony Ludovico.
Whether you prefer trolling for big game or live-baiting frenzied fish, no worries, Cabo’s got you covered. The marina holds hundreds of sport fishing vessels, most of which offer charters that are customized to the customer’s preference of fishing styles and target species. Keep an eye out for schools of porpoise that hold tuna, diving birds attacking a bait ball from above, or a finning marlin to pitch a fresh bait at.
Below: Busy morning at Marina Cabo San Lucas
Heading north to the Golden Gate Bank offers your best chance to catch a “cow” – or yellowfin tuna of over 200-pounds. Beginning in late September, these trophy tuna follow warm waters, currents, and an abundance of bait fish and juvenile tuna to the area where they will feed for a few months before heading south again. It was in this area that the current world record yellowfin tuna of 405.2-pounds was caught. Good-sized blue marlin are also seasonal residents of the Golden Gate.
Below: Another incredible underwater shot from Tony Ludovico // Yellowfin Tuna
Don’t neglect the beach during your time spent fishing in Cabo. Whether it’s from inshore boats called “pangas” or casting from shore, some of the world’s hardest fighting inshore species reside near the sandy beaches or rocky outcrops that are near and around Cabo San Lucas. Cast jigs, poppers, or live bait for an array of grouper, cabrilla, sierra mackerel, pargo, cravelle, yellowtail, and Mexico’s inshore favorite – roosterfish.
Below: Team Pelagic's Chris Mautino with a couple of average sized Roosterfish caught from the kayak close to the beach.
The roosterfish, with its distinguished “rooster comb”, can be seen cruising the shallows with its segmented dorsal fin sticking out of the water. Averaging around 20-pounds, but growing to upwards of 100, these fish range from the south end of the Baja Peninsula to Central America. Hooking into a “Pez Gallo” of over 50-pounds will result in a back-breaking battle, especially with the lighter tackle that is typically used for inshore jigging and popping. At sunset, don’t be afraid to walk the beach with a beer and a fishing rod – roosters are often caught right from shore.
Below: Our friend Captain Mariano de la Rua from Argentina sent us this shot of an 80+ pound Roosterfish.
Below: Underwater Roosterfish // Photo: Tony Ludovico
Cabo San Lucas is also home to the world’s richest fishing tournaments. Known as “The Super Bowl of Billfishing” (Sports Illustrated), The Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournaments have been taking place in Baja California Sur, Mexico for over 30 years. The Bisbee’s are currently producing three tournaments – Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore in Buenavista which takes place each July, and the Los Cabos Offshore and Black & Blue Marlin Tournament which take place every October in Cabo San Lucas. Over the years these tournaments have grown from six teams with a purse of $10,000 to more than 150 teams with millions of dollars on the line, including a whopping $4,165,960 cash payout in 2006. Top charter boat captains and crews travel from all over globe to compete for the chance to rake in the cash and go home a sport fishing legend. Pelagic Pro Team Captains have represented well and took home the grand prize on numerous occasions.
Here are some excerpts from some of our previous Bisbee’s Tournament coverage:
October 27, 2007 – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – 2007 Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Tournament
“Named for the 1947 milestone film produced by U.S. actor John Wayne, Angel & The Badman II is indeed "settling things" out there on the high seas with a winning crew, and a winning attitude. The 48-foot, semi-custom flybridge sport fishing yacht made headlines as the overall winner of the world’s richest marlin fishing tournament – the 2007 Bisbee’s Black & Blue. In doing so, Captain Alex Edwards became the youngest ever Captain to hoist the Championship Trophy in this world-class event.”
Below: Pelagic Pro Team Captain Alex Edwards shows off the hardware from his 2007 Bisbees Black & Blue win.
October 25, 2010 – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – 2010 Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Tournament
“We would like to congratulate Pelagic Pro Team Captain Mike Hennessey on taking first place in the 2010 Bisbee’s Black & Blue Tournament. Fishing aboard the 35-foot Rehab with angler John Stonecipher, Capt. Mike was able to boat his tournament winning 560-pound black marlin after a 30-minute battle.”
Below: Pelagic Pro Team Captain Mike Hennessey with his Bisbee's Tournament winning 560-pound black marlin.
October 24, 2011 – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico – 2011 Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Tournament
“The 2011 Bisbee’s Tournament series came to a close this past Saturday (October 22nd, 2011) with the third of three legs, capping off 31st annual event. The Black & Blue Marlin Tournament, known as “the richest sport fishing contest in the world”, lived up to its name once again as tournament officials handed out checks totaling more than $2.1 million combined for the three-day tournament. But, unlike other sports where only one champion can be crowned, multiple teams in this tournament went home winners, sharing the spotlight on a gorgeous Cabo San Lucas evening.
“Long-time friend of Pelagic Gear, Chris Erickson, and his teammates aboard Bad Medicine took home top honors with the biggest fish caught during tournament action. Angler Luis Arballo landed their tournament winning fish – a 409-pound blue marlin – on day one of fishing. That catch swept the daily $200, $500, $1000, and $2000 jackpots for a total purse of $394,090.
“But, in a tournament like The Bisbee’s where “it pays to play”, one team won themselves one heck of runners-up prize. Team Tiger Spirit, hailing from Newport Beach, CA (hometown of Pelagic Gear), walked away with a whopping $1,162,842 in earnings even though their fish was 14-pounds lighter than Bad Medicine’s winning catch. Though, Tiger Spirit’s 395-pound blue marlin fell just shy of the overall win, their fish was the only one entered in all three daily $5,000 and $10,000 jackpots.” (Source: Pelagic Gear)
Below: Team Bad Medicine and their winning 409-pound blue marlin.
Whether trolling offshore for your million-dollar marlin, targeting your first “cow” tuna, or cruisin’ the beach for roosterfish, there is one thing that anglers should abide to: Be ready and expect the unexpected – Cabo’s next bite could be your fish of a lifetime.
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Next time your headin' to Cabo, do yourself a favor and look up Capt. Tony Berkowitz to book a charter. Tony is a native of Texas and has lived in Cabo for 30 years learning the all the ins-and-outs of area waters. Tony has taken us on many epic adventures and will personally customize a fishing trip for you to target certain species or fishing techniques. Stop by San Lucas Yachts or simply ask for Capt. Tony Berkowitz by name around the marina - he's well known amongst the locals.