We're going to assume this is your first fishing trip in Cabo so we'll use one of lower priced charter boats, the Ya Sabras... or "You'll Know" when translated to English. Why? Cause you'll know you made a great choice after you've spent a day fishing aboard her!
Ya Sabras is a single-engine 30 footer - her size and fuel economy allow us to price her at $550 USD for a full day of fishing. This is a great platform for up to 4 passengers/anglers with plenty of cockpit and salon space. Two fighting chairs, outriggers, live bait tank and tuna tubes with a bathroom and flybridge seating for the trip to and from the fishing grounds make her a client favorite.
Based on a 4 person trip, the per person cost of $137.50 makes her one of the cheaper charter boats in the Cabo marina without sacrificing quality, reliability or comfort.
All passengers aboard a charter fishing boat in Cabo must have a valid Mexican fishing license in their possession. This applies to ALL passengers whether or not they are actually going to be fishing. The current fee for a Mexican fishing license is:
Mexican fishing licenses are priced on a scale from one-day to one-year. For this price breakdown we're going to assume you'll be fishing for one day only, once again, with a group of 4. At current exchange rates, you're looking at about $13 a day, per license.
A full day trip comes with 10 live baits (caballito, mackerel or sardines). We may suggest buying more depending on the bite. Baits usually run $3 per. Your per person cost with licenses and bait is now about $158 with ten extra baits aboard.
All full-day charters with Pochos comes with 25 drinks (water, beer, sodas - you choose). We'd recommend that you don't make them all beer! Dehydration is a big thing so having water/soda on board is wise. If it's exceptionally hot, you may want to bring a few bottles of electrolyte drinks like Gatorade or Powerade.
Food is not included. However, we can arrange for box lunches – sandwiches or burritos and extras like fruit, chips, etc – to be on the boat when you arrive. Box lunches run $13-15 USD or you can bring your own in a cooler. We'll include a $15 box lunch for each passenger in this quote.
Usually our clients come in with a full fish box and they'll need to have them processed. There are several fish cleaning and packing services in Cabo – Gricelda's Smokehouse for one. Expect a fee of about $2-3 a fish to filet and bag to around $4 a lb (finished weight) to have them filleted/steaked, vacuum bagged and frozen for transport home.
Let's assume your group caught a decent amount of tuna, dorado and wahoo. You end up with 30lbs of vacuum packed, frozen catch to take home. Your per person cost is now about $203 a person.
If you go out to dinner and a waiter or waitress tends to your needs, you remember them with a tip at the end of the meal, right? Well, fishing charter Captains and crew-members earn their living about the same way. Small hourly/daily pay to do the job with a big reliance on tips to make their living. Our crews work extra hard to put our clients on fish because they love to make the trip memorable for all involved. We ask that you reward them when they do the work... not just for catching fish.
The customary tip is the same as in a restaurant, 15% of the charge. So for the Ya Sabras, a $550 charge, a fair tip would be $82.50 - but if you really enjoyed your day, caught lots of fish and enjoyed your Captain and crew, please give them a more generous tip to show your appreciation and to make their lives a bit better. We'd suggest a minimum $100 for the trip we've outlined today.
So, all together, your per person cost to go charter fishing in Cabo comes to about $228 a person. A round of golf in Cabo will most likely set you back more and we think it's way less fun!