Anybody ever fish from the beach at Cabo in front of the resorts...I'm staying at the Riu and wanted to try my luck in front of the resort for something to do besides drink and eat (all inclusive)...I was there last year and saw fish swimming in the surf. If I understand things correctly fishing from the shore there does not require a fishing license...any tips would be great on stuff that works...what kind of fish could I potentially catch? What lures or bait?Anybody ever done this before?

Thanks in advance

I saw the guys to the north of the Riu catching pufferfish and a few other things on some kind of bait. Looked like they were cutting up any kind of sea life they could get their hands on.

Stayed there a couple of years ago. It was a lot of fun for a big group of adults. Don't trust the sushi night though. I ate a lot of it and it ended up going down the gutter in front of El Squid Roe.

Yeah...sushi in Mexico sounds dangerous...

Walk north away from the resorts towards the rocks.
I've caught multiple species off Medano beach including Pelicans.
Go at sunrise to avoid beach walkers, jet skiers and the wind which picks up in the afternoon. The surf is generally best in the morning as well.
Depending on what time of year you go, look for rooster cruising along the surf.
Fish anything that imitates a sardina.

How far away from the Riu are "the rocks"?

Go to Jansens fishing shop, he is the guru of the beach, whatever he says...do it.

Jansens

Advice.... Maui shore fishing... Hard to get killed or attacked by the Mexican Drug Cartel if your NOT in Mexico...just sayin'

He did say Cabo....right? Safer than driving I-5 or living in Seattle. Yeah, Hawaii may be about right for you.

That's the nice thing I've found about advice, the bad can be ignored.

Life is too short to hide from it.

I used castmasters from shore last month and did very well on a host of species, especially Sierra Mackerel. We fishing just as the sun was coming up and before the crowds.

Go to google earth. We fished where the beach ended and the rocks started. It's about a 1/2 mile walk from your resort. Go to the beach and make a left turn.

The rocks to your northeast are within walking distance, it might be a mile, but will feel like 3 in that soft sand.

I woke up one morning with a severe hangover (more severe than the other mornings) and I usually like to blow out h-overs by drinking a lot of water and then sweating it off. So I ran down Medano beach to town, and it wasn't that far but I thought I was never going to get back with the heat and the soft [Bleeeeep!] sand.

John you'll be to hung over to make it down the beach and to the left in time before the bite die's off.Just book a trip and make it happen out on the sea with Top anglers @ (624) 122-4617.Good luck,
SZ

You can see the rocks from where you'll be staying.
You can also get a Panga to take you out. Will run about $180.00 for six hours or so of fishing. Getting out on a boat for a day puts a whole different spin on the area. We'll worth it in my opinion.
I have a guy I've fished with on multiple trips in the past. Let me know if you'd like his contact info.

If you fish the beach, figure around 10:00 for quitting time max and start thinking cervezas and pool time.
I've caught a number of small roosters right where the dry arroyo dumps in just north of the Peublo Bonito Rose.
There is kind of a trench there that gets washed out after big rains. You'll notice a lot fish traveling the beach just outside where the surf breaks and the drop-off begins.

Good advice by Stam, Stone, and RR.

1) See Stephen when you get in to town. He's a way cool dude and he he's THE MAN down there when it comes to beach fishing.

2) Timing, timing, timing, is everything on that beach. What is there depends on when you're there, what the winds, weather and currents are doing for the week before you got there, and what they are doing now. It's a lot trying to predict the weather and rivers on the OP. Stephen has all these way-cool web sites that show water temps, etc.

3) As RR pointed out, the sand HURTS to walk on that sand for any great lengths. At least it did wearing Tiva's, and even barefoot.

4) Bring something heavier/beefier than a 1086c with a Curado 300 spooled with 30 lb. power pro! I only hooked two seagulls, but had I actually hooked something, I was *gonna* get spooled.....and fast! A good surf spinning rod/reel is the best bet to huk and crank in the Cabo Killers, etc. PS. Jansen sells *all* of that stuff.

5) Fish early. Too many people farting around with jet skis, boats, parasails, etc by 10. Fishing late didn't seem to be any better for me either. I'm always there in late March or mid-April and that doesn't seem to be a good "fishing" time of the year for that beach. If you're going now, or in the next month or so, I'd head up the beach a few many Kilos'. Or, go on the Pacific side. Never fished the beaches over there.

PS. I'll be there this year from April 13th to the 23rd. If anyone is in Cabo during that time, lemme know! I am not bringing any fishing gear. Just going to spend a day fishing out in Big Blue for bigger fishies....

If nothing else, stroll down the beach and visit The Mango Deck that's right next door to the Office. Great view and Go Dawgs!!!!

They even have fun games they play!

Keep the good advice coming guys...thanks Parker, Stam, RR, etc. I went there last year and booked a trip through the place I was staying at...I wanted to head out and "catch fish"...didn't care if it was marlin, durado, tuna, sharks, whatever...maybe even a stray chum or two...got to the Marina and to my suprise actually found myself sitting in the actual boat that was in the picture back at the resort in the fishing notebook they had...I figured we'd be in for a good day. About 5 minutes went by waiting for the captain and then all of a sudden the dock boy tells us to get out of the boat cuz we are going with a different guide in a different boat...OH BOY...Here we go...I knew from then on the trip was going to be sh$tty...captain jumped on the boat...didn't say hi...didn't introduce himself...didn't ask for our names...we head out of the marina without even knowing our guides name...I now have 20 bucks in my hand to give to bait boat who was supposed to come by with live bait (the resort said to have 20 bucks ready)...well we spent the next hour and half trying to catch 6 bait fish...we were the last boat to leave the area for the open ocean...got out there and the captain said nothing the entire time. I tried to ask questions but it was obvious he didn't want to talk. We drug big huge marlin lures around for a few hours without a bite...never even used the live bait we had spent so much time catching...and finally at about noon...I told him to take us in...he refused to...I told him again that we were done fishing and he just kept trolling...finally after the third time of me asking...we headed in. I was furious but being that it was in Mexico...I figured the best thing to do was just eat my words and live and learn. So to make a long story short...I just want to try and catch some fish from shore for free...low stress...no expensive cab rides to the marina...no guides...just the beach and me with a few all inclusive beers hanging out in my back pack...I've got a 4 piece rod that should work just fine for down there...any other advice...

+1 Shore fishing has been way more enjoyable than any guide trip I have taken in Mexico.

That's funny because that is when we generally start fishing.... though we are targeting Roosters and Jacks by sight fishing, the low sun creates too much glare in the early am to see them cruising, about 10:00 is when you can start to see, of course visibility gets better as the sun is straight up and declines once it starts to go too far down. On the few mornings that I have gotten out at daylight, it does seem that blind casting Cabo Killers, Spofford Ballistic Missiles, Roberts Lures Rangers or a Shimano Waxwing work well for the Sierra's, did well on little ladyfish too, lots of hook-ups with not one landed, good jumpers with an apparent soft mouth.... the point we fish on the Cortez side is known for even getting yellowfin and dorado in close enough to get nto from the beach... I'm still working on that though.

This is what I go there looking for, don't do the resort/party thing just hang out and fish and it's been tough...probably have 30 fishing days in down there in the last three or four years, and we fish hard, have hooked four roosters and landed two, just the chase is worth the price of admission, the learning curve is steep and failure is the teacher. Good luck.

That sounds ominous..... I hope it is not a rod that is in the heavy salmon range, if it is, it's too light. Get the biggest fastest spinning real you can get your hands on and a Penn Spinfisher 10' or 11' for a rod, I have a Shimano 10000 loaded with 40Lb PP on mine that is just for beach and warm water stuff, not sure about Sierras but for Roosters and jacks you cannot cast too far and you cannot crank too fast. Like I said originally...go talk to Stephen Jansen, I thought I had set myself up well.... showed him my stuff and he laughed at it, and was right to do so. It's different down there.... and this is were Pez Gallo Grande lives.

Stam,
I agree with you about the fishing start times if you are fishing the East Cape area beaches.
Medano beach is a different animal. It can be a cluster once everyone's hangover wears off and they start hitting the beach and watercrafts, especially if you are flyfishing.
Trying to avoid hitting the beach walkers with your backcast or the dude trying to sell you hats, necklaces etc can be interesting.
Plus I'm generally ready for a beer or margarita by 10:00....

A few more tips. The RIU fills your fridge whenever it is empty with Tecate Light and Dos Equis. The XX is better. The booze is not supposed to leave the resort, but I took it down to the beach to give locals a few beers every now and then in exchange for information, and to just hang out and pick their brains. I was looking for surf/skim information and brought stickers from NWS, and wax along with me.

Bring hooks, line and whatever from home to exchange for bait and data. They will eat it up. Most of the guys northeast of the RIU are hand-lining with heavy lead. You will have to bridge the language gap as best you can. Learn enough spanish fishing terms before you go to get the info you need.

I had a couple younger guys giving me skim lessons in the heavy shorebreak there. It was a lot of fun. I ran back to grab some beer and wax and we shared a few. They told me they were 18 and 20 years and they probably were. My wife came down to the beach and whispered in my ear "Why are you sitting down here drinking beer with CHILDREN?"

Promise to buy $350 in alcohol and you can get a private booth/table at Cabo Wabo, band starts at 10. They can be very good, CW is full of Americans, but I met a lot of interesting people there.

The best whiskey at RIU is Canadian Club and it is not good.