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Cabo San Lucas has endured an unusual fall tournament season, with a seemingly endless parade of tropical systems keeping captains watching the forecasts almost as closely as their fishing reports. But despite the unpredictable weather, the teams continue to show up, the fish continue to cooperate and the tournament purses remain impressive.
The 2026 Bisbee’s Los Cabos Offshore, held Oct. 12-17, was the second major stop on Cabo’s October tournament calendar, following the Los Cabos Billfish Tournament and setting the stage for the grand finale, the legendary Bisbee’s Black & Blue. Known affectionately as the “Little Bisbee’s,” the event has grown into a major competition in its own right. This year, 122 teams and 758 anglers competed for $2,394,300 in prize money, with three days of fishing producing some dramatic leaderboard changes and a record-setting payday.
By Friday afternoon, the difference between first and second place in the weighed-marlin division came down to just three pounds. Team Tiki Perro Pescador took top honors with a 350-pound blue marlin caught by owner and angler John “JR” Russell aboard the 48-foot Ocean Tiki Magnetic, captained by Martin Castillo. The fish struck a well-worn lure as the crew was heading back toward Cabo late on the final afternoon. The catch earned the team $131,559 and narrowly edged Loose Crew, whose 347-pound blue marlin briefly occupied the top spot.
Fishing aboard a 41-foot Luhrs with Capt. Ed McClintock, angler Edgar Gomez Ojeda and the Loose Crew team had found productive water off Cabo and connected with their fish on a Black Bart lure. Their second-place finish, combined with daily jackpots, earned $183,893.
But the tournament’s biggest financial winner didn’t catch either of those fish. Instead, that distinction belonged to Trixie, a 53-foot Scout led by Capt. Erick Carmack. Angler Carlos Davis landed a 334-pound black marlin on the second day of competition, a fish that ultimately finished third overall but delivered a remarkable return on the team’s optional jackpot entries. With its winning combination of daily billfish jackpots, Trixie collected $1,589,007.50, the largest single payout in Los Cabos Offshore history. Owner Troy Herbst and teammates Miguel Cota, Lucas Peralta and Adam Runge joined Davis in celebrating one of the tournament’s most lucrative catches.
The release competition also produced some impressive fishing. Capt. Nicholas Froelich and the crew aboard the 82-foot Viking Linda Gale dominated the first two days, releasing four blue marlin and three sailfish for 1,275 points. Their performance earned $129,200. On the final day, Capt. Pablo Pino and True Grit, a 66-foot Hines-Farley, claimed the daily release jackpot with a black marlin and two striped marlin releases, collecting $64,600.
There was plenty of money available beyond the billfish divisions, too. Caliente, a 61-foot Viking captained by Keith Banks, weighed the tournament’s largest yellowfin tuna at 259 pounds, earning $25,620 in the base-entry division. Daily tuna jackpots of $40,800 each went to Moherek Fishing Team with a 102.3-pound fish, Strictly Business II 2026 with a 225-pounder and North Star Pro with a 251-pound yellowfin on the final day.
The dorado division proved especially rewarding for Prime Time. Capt. Sean Oates and his crew aboard the 74-foot Viking weighed a 46.5-pound bull on Day 2, the only qualifying dorado of the tournament. That single fish swept the applicable overall and daily awards for a $148,020 payday.
Across the three fishing days, the fleet recorded more than 200 billfish, with striped marlin and sailfish accounting for most of the action. Blue and black marlin also made regular appearances, although just six marlin were brought to the scales. Tournament reports also recorded 46 yellowfin tuna and two dorado.
Tournament director Wayne Bisbee was understandably pleased with the outcome, especially considering the weather challenges that have followed Cabo’s tournament fleet throughout the fall.
“We dodged the storm and the excitement kept building all week,” Bisbee said, crediting the participating teams, sponsors and tournament staff for making the event a success.
And with the Los Cabos Offshore now in the books, there is little time to celebrate before the biggest event on Cabo’s calendar. Bisbee’s Black & Blue takes center stage Oct. 19-24, with fishing scheduled for Oct. 21-23 and another multimillion-dollar purse on the line.
It’s been an interesting October in Cabo, to say the least. The weather has certainly complicated matters, but the fishing, competition and enthusiasm remain strong. With one final tournament still to come, the season may yet have its biggest moment ahead.
