Fishing Reports for Cabo San Lucas, Plus Best Annual Fishing Seasons Chart and Cabo Fishing Tips
CABO FISHING REPORT FOR JANUARY/FEBRUARY


Strange weather has made a few appearances over the last 45 days with a few days of stronger than normal wind and a couple of strong rain showers. While it did knock down the fishing for a while, fishing has improved markedly over the last couple of weeks. The photos above are just a sampling of what's biting and lately, its been a mixed bag. Striped marlin are making appearances mostly on the Sea of Cortez side of the cape where water temps are into the mid 70's. Most have been taken on live bait dropped down to 50-60 feet and slow trolled. Dorado are spread out, but when you find a school, they're willing to bite and some trips it's all you can catch (within legal limits). Mid-sized tuna from 20-50 lbs are also keeping rods bent... the trick is to find the porpoise and get in front of the pod to present baits or pull cedar plugs.

Inshore fishing is also good with a nice bite on yellowtail working structure to 150 feet... assorted iron jigs are working with blue/white and scrambled egg working well. If you've never caught a Baja yellowtail, they pull harder than their coastal California relatives. Why, we don't know, but trust us when we say a twenty pounder here feels like a 40 pounder up in the States. Sierra are being targeted inshore as well and these toothy critters are providing plenty of action just outside the surfline from a couple miles north of the Cabo marina all the way up to San Jose del Cabo. Wire leaders are a must if you don't want to lose a boatload of lures... Rapalas are killing 'em. Great light tackle action and outstanding table fare! Daytime air temps are running in the high 70's to the mid 80's making it ultra-comfortable on and off the water. Book a fishing charter now while days are still available!

Seasonal Fishing Chart for Cabo San Lucas - The Best Times of the Year to Fish Southern Baja
Everyone wants to know when the best time to fish Cabo San Lucas is. Well, pretty much all year long! While certain times of the year tend to be better for certain species than others, there really isn't a bad time to come fish here. The chart below gives you a quick reference to the best fishing times in Cabo based on historical data. Unless you've fished here before, you can't begin to imagine the volume of fish that call our waters home and even the "spotty, slow action" months equal or surpass most other places on earth when it comes to fishing action.

A Few Words and Tips on Fishing the Waters off Cabo San Lucas
Many of you that visit this site have already experienced what fishing in Cabo is all about. But many of you are first-timers who don't really know what to expect and have a boatload of questions regarding what you should bring with you and what type of fishing you'll be doing. So, let's give you a quick lesson.

First, while it's nice to have your own gear, it's not necessary with Checkmate Sportfishing. Why? Because we carry a full compliment of fishing gear – from light-tackle inshore rods and reels to heavy-duty offshore tournament-grade set-ups. Add in the fact that we only use top-quality products from Penn, Shimano and CalStar and you can save yourself the hassle of carrying rod tubes and tackle bags through the airport because we already have what you need on the boat. If you have a few favorite lures, bring 'em, but then again we have over 150 different lures of all types aboard Checkmate and we're constantly picking up new proven performers.

Second, you don't need to be a seasoned angler to fish with us. If you are, that's great... your trip with us will be that much better. But if you're new to saltwater fishing, or new to Southern Baja fishing, our crew will teach you how to catch fish. The best advice we can give you is to let our crew know what you'd like to catch and if those fish are around, they'll concentrate on getting you on them. But we can't stress the importance of being flexible. In other words, even though the boys on Checkmate will work very hard trying to get you the fish you want, it's just good fishing sense to be prepared to take advantage of what presents itself when on the water. You may want Tuna but don't just motor past feeding Marlin to go find them. You may want to catch and release your first Marlin, but don't forget that trolling for Dorado and Wahoo often results in catching not only those species, but Marlin as well. The key is to take full advantage of what presents itself.... some of the best days fishing for Tuna ended up being a Marlin and Dorado bite that goes down in the books as wide-open and epic. We're here to help you have that day.Make your dream of epic days on the water a reality. Choose Checkmate Sportfishing.... Cabo San Lucas Charter Fishing at it's finest! Book your trip now!