Eight sport fishing tournaments will run across the Baja California peninsula between June and September 2026, with prize pools ranging from about $50,000 to more than $1.5 million. The calendar spans both states and both coasts, from a $100 entry women’s event in Ensenada to the $36,000 all-in Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore near Buenavista. Whether you fish competitively or just want to plan around the crowds, here is what the summer schedule looks like.
Baja Fishing Tournaments Grew From a Single 1982 Cabo Event
The Baja peninsula produces nearly half of all seafood harvested in Mexico. But sport fishing, not commercial catch, has shaped the peninsula’s tourism identity since the 1950s, when early fly-in resorts near La Paz and Cabo San Lucas began marketing marlin trips to American anglers.
The watershed moment came in 1982, when Bob Bisbee launched the Black and Blue tournament in Cabo San Lucas. That event grew into one of the world’s richest fishing competitions, with a record prize pool exceeding $11 million in 2022. Bisbee’s now runs three annual events: the East Cape Offshore in late July, the Los Cabos Offshore in October, and the flagship Black and Blue, also in October.
The success of Bisbee’s spawned a broader tournament ecosystem. Van Wormer Resorts, which operates hotels and a fleet out of Los Barriles on the East Cape, now hosts three summer shoot-out events. Pelagic, a fishing apparel company, sponsors the Cabo Triple Crown. And since 2023, Baja California’s state fisheries ministry, Sepesca (Secretaría de Pesca y Acuacultura), has added government-backed tournaments that cost a fraction of the private competitions.
State-Sponsored Events in San Felipe, San Quintín, and Ensenada Start at 2,000 Pesos
Sepesca launched its 2 Mares (Two Seas) tournament series in 2024, rotating host sites between the Pacific and Sea of Cortés coasts to showcase both fisheries. The 2026 edition holds its first leg in San Felipe on June 12 to 13 and its second in San Quintín on August 21 to 22. Entry costs 6,000 pesos (about $300 USD) per team, with jackpots up to 15,000 pesos. The combined prize pool across both events is one million pesos (roughly $50,000 USD).
Sepesca also sponsors Reinas del Mar (Queens of the Sea), a women’s and girls’ tournament running since 2023. This year’s edition takes place July 17 to 18 in Ensenada at 2,000 pesos per team (about $100 USD). Teams earn points across surface species like yellowtail, bonito, and corvina, plus bottom species including cabrilla, whitefish, and calico bass. That format rewards versatility with different rods, line weights, and lures rather than a single trophy catch.
These state events carry no minimum boat size or charter requirement. They welcome regional anglers, including juniors, making them accessible to residents who fish regularly but do not own a tournament-grade boat.
Private Tournaments Range From $400 to $36,000 Per Team
At the top end, Bisbee’s East Cape Offshore (ECO) runs July 28 through August 1 out of Buena Vista Beach Resort in Buenavista. Base entry is $1,500 per team, but going all-in on every jackpot and daily costs $36,000. The 2025 prize pool was $1.52 million. Blue and black marlin earn the most points. Last year, Team Reel’n and Deal’n took home $559,780 for a 404-pound black marlin. Team Zorah boated a 773-pound black marlin that would have set an ECO record, but the hours-long fight to land the fish meant they missed the weigh-in deadline.
The Cabo Triple Crown of Fishing, sponsored by Pelagic, opens the season on June 11 to 14 in Cabo San Lucas. Base entry is $3,000 per team, with the all-in package at $31,000. The 2025 purse was $300,000. Teams score points for marlin, sailfish, spearfish, tuna, dorado, and wahoo.
Three Van Wormer events in Los Barriles offer mid-range entry fees and vehicle prizes. The Dorado Shoot Out on July 18 costs $800 per team (jackpots up to $2,000), with a combined cash and prize pool above $500,000. First place wins a new Toyota Hilux pickup. The Ladies Shoot Out on July 24 to 25 at Hotel Palmas de Cortez is $400 per team. And the Tuna and Wahoo Shoot Out on September 19 costs $600 per team, with an expected $250,000 in prizes. Last year’s winner drove away in a Volkswagen Amarok 4×4.
Practical Details for Planning Around Tournament Season
Los Barriles, population roughly 4,000, hosts three of these eight events in a five-week window from mid-July through mid-August. Hotel rooms at Palmas de Cortez and nearby properties fill early during tournament weeks. If you plan to visit the East Cape between July 18 and August 1, book accommodations well in advance.
Cabo San Lucas sees tournament traffic in June but remains manageable before the October Bisbee’s events draw larger crowds. San Felipe, about two hours south of Mexicali, and San Quintín, about 200 kilometers south of Ensenada, both stay relatively quiet even during their tournament weekends.
All private tournaments require advance registration through their respective websites. Mexican fishing licenses are mandatory for all anglers. Day licenses cost roughly $15 USD and are available online through CONAPESCA, Mexico’s national fisheries commission, or through most charter operators.
The tournament season closes on September 19 with the Tuna and Wahoo Shoot Out in Los Barriles, then picks up again in October when Bisbee’s returns to Cabo San Lucas for its two flagship events. Tournament details were reported by Mexico News Daily.