May is the changeover month and one of the best all round windows of the year. Striped marlin are still around while dorado, tuna and the first sailfish move in behind them. The weather is settled, the water is comfortable, and the town is quiet between spring break and the summer families.
May is when the water gets comfortable. It generally climbs from the low seventies at the start of the month into the high seventies by the end, and you can feel that change in the fishing week to week. Air sits in the mid to high eighties. Humidity is still low, which makes a long day offshore far easier than the same day in August.
The north wind is mostly finished. Mornings are usually calm and the afternoon breeze is an ordinary sea breeze rather than something to fight. Hurricane season opens toward the end of the month on paper, but real risk is still weeks away. In practical terms May gives us the most reliable weather of the year.
The long days help. Sunrise is early by May and there is light for a full run offshore and a proper afternoon of fishing. Sun exposure is the thing to take seriously from here on. Long sleeves, a hat and more sunscreen than you think you need.
May straddles two seasons and that is the whole appeal. Striped marlin are still around in decent numbers through most of the month, the tail of the winter run. At the same time the warm water fish are arriving. Dorado build steadily. Yellowfin tuna start showing under the porpoise. The first sailfish usually turn up late in the month, and blue marlin are not far behind them.
Inshore, roosterfish switch on. They come alive as the water passes the mid seventies, and May into June is when the better ones start showing along the beaches. Sierra and yellowtail are fading. If yellowtail was what you wanted, you needed to come in February.
This kind of fishing rewards flexibility. Some May days the striped marlin are still stacked on the banks and that is where the day goes. Other days we find a paddy or a piece of floating debris holding dorado and never run that far. Both are good days, and we would rather chase what is working than stick to a plan made on shore.
On a good May day you can catch striped marlin and dorado on the same trip. There are not many months where that combination is likely.
Offshore full day if you want the mix. The run out is easier than it is in winter because the weather cooperates, and there is more happening along the way.
Inshore is a real option now rather than a consolation. Roosterfish on live bait off the beaches is a different kind of day, close to shore, and it suits people who do not want a long run.
Spearfishing gets good from May onward. The water is warm enough for a light suit and visibility is usually strong before the summer plankton arrives. Whale season is over, so do not plan around whales.
May is one of the better value months of the year. Spring break is done, the summer families have not arrived, and Cabo settles into something close to its normal working rhythm. Restaurants have tables. The marina is active without being packed. Flights and lodging are usually noticeably cheaper than March or April.
Memorial Day weekend brings a short spike right at the end of the month. Outside that, availability is not hard to find.
May is comfortable ashore as well, which stops being true shortly after. You can walk the marina in the afternoon without hunting for shade. From June onward you will be planning around the heat.
May is one of the four months we would pick if someone handed us their calendar. Comfortable weather, two seasons overlapping, and a town that is easy to be in.
The honest caveat is that May is not the peak of anything in particular. The biggest tuna and the biggest blue marlin come later. The densest striped marlin fishing came earlier. If you want a personal best of one specific species, another month probably serves you better. If you want variety and dependable conditions, this is your month.
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.
