Los Cabos Fishing Tournaments: The Ultimate Guide to Sportfishing in Cabo
There are certain times of the year when Los Cabos feels completely different.
October is one of them.
The weather is beautiful, the ocean is still warm, restaurants and hotels are busy, and the marina in Cabo San Lucas begins to fill with fishing boats, crews, anglers and spectators from around the world.
This is when you start to realize that Los Cabos is not only a beach destination or a luxury resort destination. It is also one of the great sportfishing destinations in the world.
I have lived in Los Cabos long enough to see how different parts of the destination come alive throughout the year.
But there is something special about fishing tournament season.
The boats.
The crews.
The anticipation.
The weigh-ins.
The people standing around the marina waiting to see what comes in.
And, of course, the fish.
For a few weeks, Cabo becomes a meeting point for an international community brought together by one thing: the ocean.
What You’ll Discover in This Guide
- Why Los Cabos is such an important sportfishing destination
- The Bisbee’s Black & Blue
- Los Cabos Offshore
- The Cabo Tuna Jackpot
- The ORSAN Fishing Tournament
- The species anglers come to Los Cabos to pursue
- What tournament season feels like in Cabo
- Why these events are part of the Los Cabos lifestyle
- My perspective on what makes this destination different
Los Cabos Is More Than Beaches and Golf
When people think about Los Cabos, they usually picture beautiful beaches, luxury resorts, golf courses, restaurants and spectacular homes overlooking the Sea of Cortez.
And all of that is absolutely part of life here.
But there is another side of Los Cabos that I think is equally important.
The ocean.
Fishing has been part of the identity of this region for generations.
Today, that tradition has evolved into an international sportfishing scene that attracts teams from Mexico, the United States and other parts of the world.
The result is something you can actually feel when you walk around the marina during tournament season.
Cabo becomes a little more competitive.
A little louder.
A little more international.
And definitely more exciting.
Los Cabos Fishing Tournaments: The Bisbee’s Black & Blue
If you have never experienced the Bisbee’s Black & Blue, it is difficult to explain just how big this event has become.
The official tournament describes it as the “Super Bowl of Fishing,” and during tournament week, you can understand why.
The 2026 Black & Blue runs from October 19 through October 24, with the three official fishing days taking place October 21–23. The awards celebration follows on October 24.
And the numbers are remarkable.
The current 2026 tournament information lists a purse of more than $11.5 million, making it one of the most lucrative sportfishing competitions anywhere.
But the money is only part of the story.
The real spectacle is what happens around it.
Boats preparing before sunrise.
Teams watching the weather and the ocean.
People gathering around the weigh station.
Crowds waiting to see whether a qualifying marlin will come through the marina.
And that moment when everyone realizes that something very big has just happened.
How big can the prize money get?
This is where the Bisbee’s gets almost unbelievable.
In 2025, the winning Magic Touch team took home $2,440,850, while the second-place Rising Sons/Magnifico team actually collected more—$2,588,675—because of the optional jackpot categories they entered.
That tells you something important about these tournaments.
They aren’t simply fishing competitions.
They are highly structured, high-stakes events where teams make strategic decisions before they even leave the dock.
And when the right fish hits the right combination of categories, the numbers can become extraordinary.
Los Cabos Offshore: The Beginning of the Madness
Before the Black & Blue takes over Cabo, there is another important event: Los Cabos Offshore.
The 2026 edition runs from October 12–17, with fishing taking place October 14–16.
It has traditionally been seen as the smaller sibling to the Black & Blue, but “small” isn’t really the word I would use anymore.
The 2025 event had 139 teams and more than $2.7 million in prize money.
For me, what makes this period interesting is the progression.
First, the boats begin arriving.
Then the crews start preparing.
Then the marina gets busier.
And before you know it, Cabo is completely immersed in fishing.
The Cabo Tuna Jackpot
The fishing calendar doesn’t stop when Bisbee’s ends.
Another major event is the Cabo Tuna Jackpot, which brings its own international crowd and a different kind of competition.
For 2026, the tournament lists November 5–6 as its fishing dates, with the overall event taking place November 4–7. The 2025 edition paid out more than $1.4 million.
The focus here is tuna, which creates a very different dynamic from the marlin-centered Black & Blue.
Different fish.
Different strategies.
Different crews.
But the same ocean.
ORSAN: Another Part of Cabo’s Fishing Culture
There are also tournaments that connect more directly with the local fishing community.
The ORSAN Fishing Tournament will take place November 28–29, 2026, at the Cabo San Lucas Marina.
The tournament lists a total purse of $1.2 million pesos, with a maximum of four anglers per boat. The published prize structure includes $700,000 pesos for first place, $300,000 for second and $200,000 for third.
The tournament also includes jackpots for dorado and wahoo.
I like seeing events like this alongside the international tournaments because they show that fishing in Los Cabos isn’t only about the biggest boats or the biggest checks.
There is a much broader fishing culture here.
What Are They Fishing For?
When people talk about fishing in Los Cabos, Marlin is usually the first species that comes to mind.
And for good reason.
Blue and black marlin are central to the Bisbee’s Black & Blue, while other tournaments also target species such as tuna, dorado and wahoo.
The Black & Blue is particularly focused on blue and black marlin, with qualifying fish in its weight categories subject to tournament rules.
But one of the things I find interesting about fishing here is the variety.
Depending on the season and the tournament, the same ocean can offer completely different experiences.
That’s part of what makes Los Cabos so attractive to anglers who return year after year.
What It Feels Like in Cabo During Tournament Season
This is probably my favorite part.
Because if you don’t fish, you might think these tournaments have nothing to do with you.
I don’t agree.
You can feel them even if you never step onto a boat.
Walk around the marina during tournament week and you’ll see teams preparing equipment, crews moving between boats and people following the action.
The weigh station becomes a gathering point.
Restaurants are busy.
Hotels fill with visitors.
And the marina becomes a place where people from different countries, backgrounds and fishing communities end up talking to each other.
That’s something I love about Los Cabos.
People come here for different reasons, but the ocean gives everyone something in common.
An International Destination, Not Just a Vacation Destination
I’ve talked a lot on this blog about what makes Los Cabos different from other resort destinations.
This is another example.
Los Cabos attracts visitors because of its beaches and weather.
It attracts golfers because of its courses.
It attracts food lovers because of its restaurants.
It attracts people looking for second homes because of the lifestyle.
And it attracts anglers because of the ocean.
All of those things overlap.
That’s what makes this place interesting to me.
You can have someone fly into Cabo for a fishing tournament and end up discovering that they love the restaurants, the weather, the golf, the communities and the lifestyle.
I’ve seen that kind of connection happen in different ways over the years.
Cabo San Lucas During Bisbee’s Is Something Different
If you have only visited Cabo during a typical vacation, tournament week can be a completely different experience.
The marina has more energy.
There are more boats.
There is more activity.
And there is a sense that everyone is waiting for something to happen.
Sometimes it is a huge marlin arriving at the scales.
Sometimes it is simply the excitement of watching the boats return.
And sometimes it is just being there when thousands of people are focused on the same thing.
That’s the kind of experience that photographs don’t always capture.
You have to be here.
Why Los Cabos Fishing Tournaments Matter to Me
One of the reasons I enjoy writing about Los Cabos is that I don’t want to present this place only through the usual vacation brochure.
I live here.
And living somewhere means seeing all of its different sides.
I can spend a morning looking at real estate with a client, have lunch in San José del Cabo, drive to Cabo San Lucas, walk through the marina and suddenly find myself surrounded by an international fishing community.
That is Los Cabos.
It isn’t one thing.
It is a collection of lifestyles, communities, people and experiences connected by this extraordinary piece of Baja.
And the fishing tournaments are one of the best examples of that.
Could Fishing Become Part of Your Los Cabos Lifestyle?
For some people, fishing is a vacation activity.
For others, it becomes part of the reason they keep coming back.
And for some, it eventually becomes part of the reason they consider owning a home here.
That doesn’t necessarily mean buying a property directly on the marina.
It could mean having a home close enough to Cabo San Lucas to enjoy tournament season.
It could mean living in San José del Cabo and coming into town for the events.
It could mean choosing a community where golf, boating, fishing and other outdoor activities are all within easy reach.
There isn’t one definition of the Los Cabos lifestyle.
That’s one of the things I enjoy most about helping people discover it.
Los Cabos Has a Rhythm of Its Own
The more time I spend here, the more I realize that Los Cabos has a rhythm.
Summer feels different from winter.
San José del Cabo feels different from Cabo San Lucas.
The East Cape feels different from the Corridor.
And October feels different because the fishing community arrives.
For a few weeks, the ocean becomes the center of attention.
And honestly, I think that’s a beautiful thing.
Because beneath all the luxury, development and international attention, Los Cabos is still Baja.
And the ocean is still at the heart of it.
Final Thoughts
The Bisbee’s Black & Blue may be the most famous fishing tournament in Los Cabos, but it is really just one part of a much larger sportfishing culture.
From Los Cabos Offshore to the Tuna Jackpot, ORSAN and other competitions throughout the region, these events bring together anglers, families, crews, businesses and visitors from around the world.
They also remind us that Los Cabos isn’t simply a place people visit.
It is a place people become connected to.
For me, that’s one of the reasons living here never gets boring.
There is always another side of Los Cabos to discover.
And sometimes, you find it standing beside the marina, waiting for the next boat to come in.
You May Also Find Helpful
- Living in Cabo San Lucas: The Ultimate Local Guide
- Living in San José del Cabo: Why People Fall in Love With This Side of Los Cabos
- Living in Los Cabos: What It’s Really Like to Call Baja Home
- Living in Cabo del Sol: Golf, Beach, Dining and the Baja Lifestyle
- Living in Palmilla: What Makes This Los Cabos Community So Special
- Quivira Los Cabos: A Different Way to Experience Luxury Living
Thinking About Making Los Cabos Part of Your Life?
If you’re exploring what life in Los Cabos could look like, I think the best place to start is not with a property.
Start with the lifestyle.
Explore the different communities, understand how they feel, discover what each part of Los Cabos offers—and then see which one feels right for you.
I live here, I work throughout Los Cabos, and I’d be happy to help you explore the possibilities.
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