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Tourney Time!
By Captain George Landrum
With the worldwide reputation as “The Marlin Capital of the World,” it is no wonder that there are so many tournaments in the Los Cabos area.
The reputation brings with it money, and there is big money! One of our yearly tournaments boasted the largest single payout in angling history, with one team taking home $4 million U.S. last year! .
Seven of the most popular tournaments in our region are scattered throughout the year between May and November. They feature different entry fees, team requirements and, of course, different prizes.
This year’s tournaments began with the IGFA Offshore World Championship in Cabo San Lucas, May 20–25. This event is an invitational tournament, as teams must have won one of 117 qualifying tournaments in 2006 to get invited. With an all-release format, all teams use circle hooks, as well as the same brand and breaking strength of line. There is no prize money for this tournament, just the bragging rights to being the best billfish team in the world. www.igfa.org/tour.asp
The second tournament of the year is the World Championship Billfish Release Tournament, which took place May 27–31. This is an open tournament with an all-release format and an entry fee of $4,000 U.S. for six anglers. Last year, the first-place team took home over $196,000 U.S. This tournament is not for the novice, as the competition is on a very high level and should only be entered if you are experienced. www.wcbrt.com
Between July 31 and August 4, is the Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore Tournament, headquartered at the Hotel Buena Vista. This is a good tournament for first-time marlin anglers, as it is not too expensive to enter on the base level and there are fewer teams than tournaments in Cabo. There are three days of fishing and the base entry is $1,200 U.S. for as many anglers as you wish to list. Last year, first place walked away with $152,411.40 U.S. If you opt to enter on every jackpot level this tournament would cost $7,800 U.S per team. www.bisbees.com
October is the big tournament month for Cabo. The first tournament of the month is the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament, taking place October16–20. It takes $4,000 U.S. for a team of up to six anglers to enter at the base level and enjoy three days of fishing with jackpots of $524, $750, $1,200 and $2,000 U.S. There is also a $3,000 U.S. winner-take-all pot. The winning team last year took home a total of $451,350 U.S. with a fish that weighed 438 pounds. www.loscabosbillfishtournament.com
The second tournament of the month is the Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore Tournament taking place October 19–21. The base entry for two days of fishing with no limit on the number of anglers is $1,200 U.S. There are jackpots of $200, $500 and $1,000 U.S. per day, as well as, a $500 U.S. per day game fish jackpot. To enter across the board would take a team $5,600 U.S., with the possibility of winning over $50,000 U.S. www.bisbees.com
The third tournament in October is the Bisbee’s Black and Blue Marlin Tournament, taking place October 23–27. The tournament gets its name from the fact that only black and blue marlin over 300 pounds count for the big bucks. It is also the one with the reputation of the largest payout for any angling tournament in the world. Last year’s first-place team took home close to $4 million U.S. This tournament is not for the faint of heart or light of wallet. If you went across the board on this one, it would cost you $63,100 U.S. One good thing about this tournament is that anyone can win. Just as in any “largest fish” tournament, there is a lot of luck involved! www.bisbees.com
Probably the tournament that is the most fun is the Western Outdoors News/Mercury Los Cabos Tuna Jackpot Tournament. This tournament takes place November 7–10 and basic entry is only $700 U.S. for a team of four. There are lots of parties and plenty of free drawings. In fact, enough stuff is given away, that a few people enter just for the fun to be had and never fish! www.loscabostunajackpot.com
As you can see, there are plenty of tournaments to choose from. You just need to find one that is right for you and have fun. If you don’t have the experience or the money, at least go check out the results when the boats come in at the end of the day to weigh in the catch!
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