August has the warmest water of the year and the biggest marlin of the year. It also has mid nineties heat, heavy humidity and the start of the most active stretch of hurricane season. The fishing can be very good. The conditions are hard. This is not the month for a first trip to Cabo.
August brings the warmest water of the year, generally the mid eighties and sometimes higher. That warm water is what pulls the big pelagics in, and it is also why the weather turns unpredictable. Air runs in the mid nineties with humidity to match. It is the most physically demanding month to spend a full day on a boat.
Hurricane season is moving into its most active stretch. Late August through October carries the highest risk of the year for tropical storms affecting the cape. Most days are still fine. But the odds of losing a day to weather in August are meaningfully higher than they are in May, and you should plan with that in mind rather than hope.
Warm water is not automatically good water. When it gets too warm and too still, the surface layer can go sterile and the bait moves off. That is one reason August fishing swings from excellent to slow inside a week. Temperature breaks and current edges matter more now than at any other time of year, and finding them is most of the work.
This is when the biggest fish are here. Blue marlin and black marlin are at or near their peak, and August into September is the window when the largest ones are most likely. Sailfish are around in numbers. Dorado are strong. Yellowfin tuna are good, and the fish get heavier as the season runs on.
If a big fish is the goal, August is a lures and heavy tackle month. That means long stretches of trolling with nothing happening, and then a fish that takes real work to bring to the boat. It suits an angler who wants one serious shot more than it suits someone who wants a busy day of smaller fish.
Striped marlin are at their thinnest of the year. Wahoo become a possibility toward the very end of the month. The cool water species are entirely absent.
Warm water can also push the bait and the fish further offshore, which means longer runs on some days. That is part of the deal in August.
Offshore for the big fish, starting as early as we can get away. Bring more water than you think you need, long sleeves and a hat you would not mind losing overboard. Sunburn and dehydration take more people off the deck in August than seasickness does.
Sea conditions are usually calm, which is the one comfort August offers. The exception is the swell that arrives ahead of distant tropical systems, and it can turn up on a day that looked fine on the forecast two days earlier.
If you want an easier day, inshore and spearfishing both work well, and the water is warm enough that being in it is a relief. August visibility varies. Some weeks are excellent and some go green.
Watch the forecast in the days before your date and be ready to move. Our weather and reschedule policy is still being confirmed.
August is genuinely quiet. The marina is calm, restaurants are easy, and travel costs sit near their low for the year. Some businesses close for part of the month. The town is at its least polished and its most local, which some people prefer.
If having the place largely to yourself appeals to you and you can take the heat, that is a real argument for August.
Skip August if your travel cannot flex, if anyone in the group struggles with heat and humidity, or if you get seasick and want the calmest conditions available.
Book August if you are specifically hunting a large blue or black marlin, you accept that you may lose a day to weather, and the cheaper flights and empty town appeal to you. It is an experienced angler's month rather than a first trip month. If this is your first time in Cabo, come in May, June, October or November instead.
Every species with this month inside its peak window. Tap one for the full page.
The short version of how a trip with Indigo Adventures works. Licences, deposits, boats and what happens to your catch. The full FAQ has the rest.
Read the full FAQ→Indigo Adventures is based in El Pescadero, on the Pacific side of Baja California Sur, a few minutes south of Todos Santos. Boats launch from three points: Punta Lobos beach in Todos Santos, San Jose del Cabo, and the Cabo San Lucas Marina. Which boat runs your trip decides where you meet us.
Custom fishing and spearfishing charters, freediving excursions, whale watching from mid December to April, and kayaking. Every trip is built around your group, your dates and the conditions rather than a fixed timetable, and almost every one goes out private.
Book online on the Book Now page, where availability is live and a 50 percent deposit holds the date. If you would rather we picked the trip, send an enquiry with who is coming, when you are here and what you want out of the day, and we will say which trip fits and which one does not.
No. Everyone fishing in Mexican waters needs a Mexican sportfishing licence, and each angler buys their own. We help you arrange it before the day so nobody is sorting paperwork on the dock. The same licence covers rod and spear.
Rarely. Almost every trip goes out as a private boat for you and your group. If a split makes sense for a small party we will say so when you enquire.
Three on the 24 foot Punta Lobos panga, up to four on La Ruca and La Morita, and up to six on Don Pancho and El Wahoo King. Whale watching numbers run a little higher because nobody is swinging a rod.
Yes. The catch goes home with you. Filleting at the dock, vacuum sealing and freezing are available, and most guests fly home with a cooler. Marlin are mostly released, with judgement on the day.
Yes, on fishing days. The crew rigs and handles the gear and hands you the rod when something eats. Guided spearfishing needs breath-hold experience and runs on a strict buddy system, which is the only legal way to spearfish in Mexico. Water, ice and snacks are normally aboard.
