What the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament is
This is a 28-year-old marlin tournament that opens the October run of events in Cabo San Lucas, a week ahead of the Bisbee's series. It's run by the team behind the Offshore World Championship and Bermuda Triple Crown, and it's listed on Marlin Magazine's tournament pages.
Scoring mixes billfish releases (blue and black marlin, striped marlin, sailfish and spearfish) with heaviest-fish categories for tuna, wahoo and dorado, plus Top Captain, Top Angler and Top Lady Angler awards and optional cash jackpots. Lines go in at 7:00 AM and come out at 4:30 PM. Weather can shorten the schedule; the 2025 event lost fishing time to it.
2026 schedule
Wednesday, October 7 is registration, the kickoff party and the captains meeting at Playa Grande. Thursday to Saturday, October 8 to 10 are fishing days, with boats checking out from about 6:30 AM. Sunday, October 11 is the awards banquet on the resort's beachside terrace.
Base entry for 2026 is US$2,500 per team, registered through CatchStat. Most teams run their own boats or charter one; if you just want to fish that week without competing, book a sportfishing charter from the marina early, because the good boats go fast in October.
Worth watching?
Mostly for anglers. It's a smaller, more relaxed event than the Black & Blue, and plenty of teams treat it as a warm-up. For non-fishing visitors there isn't much to watch beyond the weigh-ins and the general buzz around the marina. If you want spectacle, save your energy for the Bisbee's weigh station the following two weeks.
Early October is still warm and humid, and it's the tail of hurricane season, so keep an eye on the forecast if you're planning a trip around it.
Getting to Playa Grande
Playa Grande sits on the Pacific side past the marina, about 10 minutes by taxi or Uber from Médano Beach, or a longer walk around the harbor. The resort area is busy that week, so a ride beats hunting for parking.
For dinner nearby, the marina is right there: Solomon's Landing is an easy fishing-crowd pick, and Captain Tony's is where a lot of boat crews end up.