Fishing in Los Cabos is productive year-round, but every season offers something different. Use this guide to see when Cabo’s most popular game fish are typically available and find the right time to plan your trip.
Los Cabos is one of the rare fishing destinations where there is something worth targeting throughout the entire year. The calendar below is a general guide to when each species is typically available and when fishing is generally at its best.
Fishing seasons are never exact. Water temperature, bait, currents, weather, and annual conditions can cause fish to arrive earlier, stay later, or show up outside their traditional seasons.
Scroll the calendar sideways to read every month →
Winter brings some of the most comfortable weather of the year, with warm days, cooler mornings and evenings, and cooler water temperatures.
Striped marlin are a major attraction, along with opportunities for tuna, wahoo, dorado, and a variety of inshore species. It is also peak whale-watching season.
The holidays through New Year’s are among the busiest times of the year. Tourism slows after the holidays before beginning to pick back up toward the end of February.
Spring is one of the best all-around times to fish Los Cabos.
Striped marlin fishing remains strong, with opportunities for tuna, dorado, roosterfish, and excellent bottom fishing. Weather is generally comfortable, although windy days can occur as seasonal conditions change.
March and April are particularly busy with Spring Break and Easter travel, and tourism generally remains strong through May and into early June.
Summer is the slowest tourism season in Los Cabos, but the fishing can be excellent.
Warmer water brings opportunities for blue and black marlin, yellowfin tuna, dorado, wahoo, roosterfish, snook, and other warm-water species.
This is also hurricane season. Cabo becomes hot and humid, and tropical weather can affect travel, ocean conditions, and fishing. The tradeoff is fewer crowds, greater charter availability, and some outstanding fishing opportunities.
Fall is the heart of Cabo’s big-game fishing and tournament season.
Warm water creates excellent opportunities for larger blue and black marlin, along with striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, dorado, and wahoo.
September and early fall remain within hurricane season, but conditions typically improve as the season progresses. Tourism ramps up quickly in October, beginning one of Cabo’s busiest stretches of the year through New Year’s.
One of the biggest strengths of the Los Cabos fishery is its consistency and variety.
Striped marlin and dorado are two of the staple sportfish species of Cabo, with opportunities to catch both throughout the year. Around them, the fishery changes seasonally, bringing stronger runs of blue and black marlin, yellowfin tuna, wahoo, roosterfish, sailfish, and a variety of inshore and bottom species.
Striped marlin are one of the species that define fishing in Cabo. Los Cabos is one of the world’s premier striped marlin fisheries, and they can be caught throughout the year. While their abundance changes seasonally, there is no true “off-season” for striped marlin in Cabo.
Best overall period: Fall through late spring.
Dorado are another staple of the Cabo sportfishing experience. They can be caught throughout the year, with opportunities increasing considerably as conditions warm — popular with experienced anglers and first-timers alike for their aggressive strikes, spectacular colors, acrobatic fights, and excellent table quality.
Best overall period: Summer through fall.
Yellowfin tuna are one of Cabo’s most important offshore game fish. Fish can range from smaller schooling tuna to very large yellowfin, making them a target for both recreational anglers and serious offshore fishermen.
Best overall period: Late spring through fall, with good opportunities continuing into winter.
Wahoo are known for incredible speed, aggressive strikes, and excellent table quality. They can be caught during much of the year, but the strongest fishing generally comes later in the season.
Best overall period: October and November.
Blue marlin become increasingly prominent as offshore waters warm and are one of the major big-game attractions of Cabo’s summer and fall fishery.
Best overall period: August through October.
Black marlin are less common than striped marlin but are among the largest and most powerful game fish encountered in Los Cabos. Their presence increases dramatically during the warmest-water portion of the year.
Best overall period: August through November.
Roosterfish are one of Baja’s signature inshore game fish and provide a completely different fishing experience from Cabo’s offshore species. They are commonly targeted along beaches and coastal structure. The slower months consist of more school-sized fish, with bigger models appearing late spring into summer.
Best overall period: June through August.
Sailfish are another warm-water billfish found in Los Cabos and become much more common as summer conditions develop.
Best overall period: August through October.
Cabo fishing is not limited to offshore pelagic species. Depending on the season and conditions, anglers can also target sierra mackerel, yellowtail, snapper, grouper, amberjack and snook — excellent alternatives to offshore fishing and especially important for anglers interested in inshore fishing, bottom fishing, or targeting a wider variety of species.
Water temperatures, currents, bait concentrations, hurricanes, El Niño and La Niña conditions, and other environmental factors can shift fishing patterns from year to year. A species traditionally associated with one month may arrive early, stay late, or appear unexpectedly.
This is why current local knowledge matters. If you have a specific species or fishing experience in mind, tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll help determine the best available option based on your dates and current conditions.