Cabo San Lucas Fishing Charters: 6 Best Boats & Prices (2026)

Cabo San Lucas charter fishing is the reason many anglers come to Baja in the first place: this is the self-styled Marlin Capital of the World, where the Pacific meets the Sea of Cortez just off Land's End and deep water starts only a few miles from the marina. A charter fishing trip here means a private boat with a captain and crew, booked by the boat rather than by the seat, so a group of four to eight splits one flat rate for the day.

This guide compares six Cabo San Lucas fishing charter options side by side, from a 26-foot half-day boat to a 36-foot offshore sportfisher, with real per-boat prices, boat sizes, and what each one includes. The biggest decisions are simple: how long you fish (a 4 to 5 hour half day or a full 8-hour day), how many anglers you have, and how much is bundled into the price. We cover all three below, plus what you can expect to catch in each season. For other ways onto the water, see our Cabo yacht charter guide and our overview of the best things to do in Cabo San Lucas.

Our picks at a glance:

• Best overall, all-inclusive full day: Cabo Sportfishing Crew, Blue Tail 28ft
• Best for big groups: Exclusive Phantom II (36ft, up to 8)
• Best half-day value: Kellyfish Cabo Sportfishing
• Best mid-size half day: Pacifictime (31ft, up to 6)
• Lowest full-day price: Ultimate Fishing Experience

Six private charters cover the range of fishing charters in Cabo San Lucas, from half-day trips on smaller boats to full-day offshore runs on larger sportfishers. All prices below are per boat (the whole group splits one rate), not per person. Half-day trips run 4 to 5 hours; full days are 8 hours.

Every charter here launches from the Cabo San Lucas marina and fishes the same productive water, so what really separates them is boat size, trip length, group capacity, and how much is bundled into the per-boat price. What matters more than the hull is the crew: the captains and mates who keep changing tactics and stay on the fish to the last minute are what turn a slow morning into a full cooler. Here are the ones we think stand out.

Best Overall: Cabo Sportfishing Crew, Blue Tail 28ft

The most-reviewed charter in Cabo at 4.8 across 481 reviews, and our overall pick. For $625 per boat you get a full 8-hour private day on the 28-foot Blue Tail for up to four anglers, with the captain and first mate, live bait, fishing licenses, food and snacks, and a cooler of water, sodas, and beer all included. That genuinely all-inclusive package is rare here: most boats charge the license and bait separately, so a flat price with everything covered is what earns this the top spot. Gratuities, hotel pickup, and fish cleaning are the main extras.

Best for Big Groups: Exclusive Phantom II

If you have a larger group, the 36-foot Luhrs Phantom II is the biggest boat in this lineup and takes up to eight anglers, with a perfect 5.0 over 42 reviews. The 5-hour private trip is $1,165 per boat, which works out to a reasonable per-person rate once you split it across six or eight people, and you get professional gear, outriggers, lifejackets, a license for one person, and a bilingual crew. We think this is the one to book when the group is too big for a 4 to 6 person panga.

Best Half-Day Value: Kellyfish Cabo Sportfishing

Kellyfish runs a 26-foot Seaswirl Striper with outriggers, a live-bait tank, and a head on board, and at $495 for a half day (up to five anglers) it is the lowest half-day price here, rated 4.7 over 88 reviews. Gear and bottled water are included; the fishing license (about $20 per person) and live bait (about $35, cash) are paid on the dock, and you bring your own lunch. A full 8-hour day is $720. We would book this for a smaller group that wants a solid, no-frills charter without paying for a big boat.

Best Mid-Size Half Day: Pacifictime

Pacifictime fishes a refurbished 31-foot Veltran with a flybridge and a private bathroom, a comfortable step up from the smaller pangas, and it carries up to six anglers at $699 per boat for a 5-hour trip (4.8 over 203 reviews). Rods, gear, water, and a cooler are included, hotel pickup is available, and the license and live bait are extra. The operator has a tournament background, so we'd choose this for a group that wants a serious crew on a mid-size boat without paying for the biggest hull.

Lowest Full-Day Price: Ultimate Fishing Experience

At $550 per boat for a full 8-hour day, Ultimate Fishing Experience is the cheapest way to get a complete day on the water, with a 5.0 rating over 19 reviews. Fishing gear and drinks (water and soda) are included and taxes are covered; transport is not, so plan to meet at the dock. With fewer reviews than the bigger operators it is a smaller listing, but the price for a full day is hard to beat.

Private Half Day: Deep Sea Fishing 5 Hours

This private 5-hour charter on a 28 to 32 foot boat takes up to four anglers for $750, rated 4.5 over 37 reviews. Live bait, all fishing equipment, a cooler with bottled water, dock fees, and a bilingual captain are included; the license (about $20 per person), fish cleaning, and crew gratuity are extra. It is a straightforward half-day option for a small group that wants bait and licenses handled on board.

Cabo fishes all year, but which species are running depends on the month and the water temperature. Billfish are the headline (this is marlin country), but tuna, dorado, wahoo, and inshore roosterfish all have their seasons. Here is the rough calendar.

The headline for planning is simple: summer and fall (roughly July through November) are the most action-packed months, with the widest mix of marlin, tuna, dorado, and wahoo all available at once. Striped marlin fills the winter and spring, so there is good fishing in every season. If a specific species is your goal, we'd lean toward a full-day charter for the range to reach the offshore banks where the bigger fish hold. For the wider seasonal picture, see our Cabo in summer guide.

Every Cabo sportfishing trip in this guide leaves from the same place: the Cabo San Lucas Marina, where the charter docks line the IGY Marina and the smaller numbered docks around the inner harbor. You check in dockside, meet your captain and crew, and the boat idles out past the water taxis and cruise tenders to open water within minutes.

The run starts at Land's End, the granite point and the famous Arch where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez. That convergence is exactly why Cabo is such a fishery: nutrient-rich currents collide here, deep water drops away close to shore, and gamefish gather where the two bodies of water mix. From the marina you are over fishable depth in 15 to 30 minutes, which is part of what makes deep sea fishing in Cabo San Lucas so efficient compared with places that need a long run offshore.

Where the boats actually fish depends on the season and the target:

• Inshore and around Land's End: roosterfish, sierra, and smaller gamefish close to the rocks, good for half-day Cabo fishing trips and first-timers.
• The Golden Gate Bank: a renowned offshore bank on the Pacific side, roughly an hour northwest, that holds striped marlin and is a classic full-day destination for marlin fishing in Cabo.
• The Gordo Banks: a pair of seamounts off the Sea of Cortez side toward San Jose del Cabo, known for yellowfin tuna and bigger billfish on the right day.
• Other grounds: the San Jaime Bank and the inshore drop-offs round out the water a full-day boat can reach.

Because the productive banks sit well offshore, the longer your trip, the more water your Cabo fishing boats can cover: a half day works the closer grounds, while a full day reaches the Golden Gate or Gordo Banks where the marlin and tuna concentrate.

No charter can guarantee a catch, but Cabo San Lucas has one of the highest billfish success rates of any sportfishing destination in the world, which is a big part of why marlin fishing in Cabo draws anglers back year after year. Here is a realistic read on your odds by target species and season.

Striped Marlin: The Reliable One

Striped marlin are what make Cabo famous, and they are catchable in every month of the year, with the strongest stretch from fall through spring. In peak season, full-day boats commonly raise more than one striped marlin in a day, and because billfish are released, a good day means several hookups rather than a full cooler. If landing a marlin is the goal of your trip, this is the species the odds favor.

Tuna: Strong but Seasonal

Yellowfin tuna show up in numbers from summer into the fall, often traveling with pods of porpoise that the crews look for. When the tuna are in, a full day can produce steady action and the best eating fish of the trip; outside the summer-to-fall window the odds drop, so tuna is more of a seasonal bet than a year-round lock.

Dorado: The Warm-Water Bonus

Dorado (mahi-mahi) run strongest from summer into late fall, especially after warm currents and summer rain push them in. They are fast, acrobatic, and travel in schools, so a single find can produce several fish quickly. In a warm year the dorado bite is one of the most fun and reliable parts of a summer sport fishing in Cabo day.

The single biggest lever on your odds is trip length and timing: a full-day trip in summer or fall, reaching the offshore banks, stacks the deck far more than a short winter half day close to shore. Whatever the month, an experienced crew that keeps changing tactics is what turns a slow start into a productive day.

• Getting there: Most charters meet at a numbered dock in the Cabo San Lucas marina; some offer hotel pickup, others ask you to make your own way. Departures are early, often around 6:30 to 7:00 AM, because mornings are calmest and the bite is best.
• The run out: The deep water is close, so you are usually fishing within 20 to 45 minutes of leaving the dock. What typically happens is the crew trolls with lures and live bait, then switches to bottom or kite fishing depending on what is biting.
• Half day vs full day: A 4 to 5 hour half day fishes the closer grounds and is plenty for tuna, dorado, and inshore species; a full 8-hour day reaches the offshore banks (Gordo, San Jaime, Golden Gate) where the marlin and bigger tuna hold. The main tradeoff is reach: a half day saves money but rarely reaches the offshore marlin grounds, so the cheaper trip often means a different target list, not just fewer hours.
• Licenses and bait: Mexico requires a fishing license for everyone aboard (about $20 per person). Some charters include it and live bait; others sell both on the dock, so confirm what is bundled.
• Catch and release: Cabo has a strong conservation culture around billfish. Marlin and sailfish are almost always tagged and released; tuna, dorado, and wahoo are the fish you keep, and most crews will fillet your catch for a tip or a small fee. From what we've seen in reviews, keeping a couple of dorado or tuna for a same-day restaurant cook-up is the highlight many anglers remember most.
• What to bring: Sun protection, a hat, polarized sunglasses, a light jacket for the morning, motion-sickness tablets taken before departure, and cash for the license, bait, fillet service, and crew tip.

Charter fishing in Cabo San Lucas is priced per boat, so the cost per person drops the more anglers you split it with. Across the charters in this guide, expect roughly $495 to $1,165 per boat depending on boat size and trip length.

• Half-day charters (4 to 5 hours): $495 to $1,165 per boat. Kellyfish is the lowest at $495 for up to five; Pacifictime is $699 for up to six; the 5-hour Deep Sea charter is $750 for up to four; and the 36-foot Phantom II is $1,165 for up to eight.
• Full-day charters (8 hours): $550 to $720 per boat. Ultimate Fishing is $550, the all-inclusive Blue Tail is $625 for up to four, and a Kellyfish full day is $720.
• What changes the price: boat size and capacity, trip length, and how much is bundled. An all-inclusive boat costs more up front but covers the license, bait, food, and drinks; a cheaper boat may add those on the dock.
• Extras to budget for: fishing license (about $20 per person if not included), live bait (about $35 if not included), fish cleaning or filleting, mounting service if you land a trophy, and a crew gratuity (commonly 10 to 20 percent).

For a group of four to six, the per-boat model usually makes a private charter cheaper per head than it looks, and we'd give the bigger boats the edge once you have the numbers to fill them: split across the group, even the larger boats land at a reasonable rate for a full day on the water.

A half-day charter leaves your afternoon free, so it pairs easily with the rest of Cabo. Because trips launch from the marina, the simplest follow-ups are on the water: a snorkeling tour at Pelican Rock or Chileno, or an evening sunset cruise around Land's End to cap a day on the boat.

For a mixed group that is not all anglers, what we'd suggest is a bigger private boat: our Cabo yacht charter guide compares boats that combine cruising and snorkeling. And if you are extending the trip north, the Sea of Cortez around La Paz is another world-class fishery: see our La Paz fishing charters guide for dorado, tuna, and marlin a couple of hours up the coast. To slot a fishing day into a wider plan, see our guide to the best things to do in Cabo San Lucas.

• Book a full day for marlin and tuna: The bigger offshore fish hold on banks that a 4 to 5 hour half day rarely reaches. If billfish or large tuna are the goal, the 8-hour trip is worth it.
• Confirm exactly what is included: License, live bait, food, and drinks are bundled on some boats and extra on others. Total the extras before comparing two per-boat prices.
• Split a private boat with a group: Pricing is per boat, so four to eight anglers sharing one charter pay far less per head than the sticker price suggests.
• Take motion-sickness tablets before you board: The water past the arch can get bumpy, and tablets work best taken an hour before departure, not after you feel queasy.
• Plan to release the billfish: Marlin and sailfish are tagged and released in Cabo; you keep tuna, dorado, and wahoo. Ask the crew to fillet your keepers, and many restaurants will cook your catch.
• Bring cash for the dock: When they are not bundled, the fishing license (about $20 per person, sometimes bought at a kiosk near the marina), live bait (about $35 to $40), a small dock fee, fillet service, and the crew tip are usually cash only on the day, so carry enough beyond the booking price.
• Expect a working boat: Many Cabo charters run older but well-maintained sportfishers, so judge a boat on its crew, gear, and the grounds it fishes rather than how new the hull looks.
• Check whether the hours are dock-to-dock or fishing time: The quoted duration can include the run out and the occasional fuel stop, so on a short half day, ask how much of the trip is actually lines in the water and reconfirm the departure time the day before.
• Go in the morning: Earlier departures get calmer seas and a better bite; afternoon wind builds through the day.
• Fish summer to fall for variety: July through November offers the widest mix of species at once, though striped marlin keeps the winter and spring productive too.