cabo blanco and máncora
Where the largest marlin ever caught was landed, in 1953. Today billfish fishing is on the Máncora Bank, with mandatory catch and release.
Cabo Blanco, on the Talara coast, was in the 1950s the most famous destination in the world for black marlin. The Cabo Blanco Fishing Club opened in 1953 and that same year Alfred Glassell Jr. landed a 707 kg black marlin there, a world record for marlin. The region also produced records for bigeye tuna and roosterfish. Big black marlin became scarce, and today billfish fishing centers on the Máncora Bank, a seamount about 23 miles off the coast, and around Punta Sal, already in Tumbes. Striped marlin is the most common billfish; sailfish, blue marlin and black marlin also show up. Fishing is trolling, with artificial or live bait. In winter the boats go more after tuna.
best season
Summer, December to March, when billfish become more abundant. In winter the trips are more for tuna, and from June to December many boats go whale watching for humpback whales.
Local rules: Blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin and sailfish: commercial fishing and sale are banned; in sport fishing, catch and release only (DS 009-2008-PRODUCE). There is no specific sea sport fishing license for individual anglers; confirm the boat's requirements with the operator. Respect humpback whales during the season. Confirm the local rules.
- getting there
- Talara or Tumbes airport, and the Pan-American Highway North to Cabo Blanco, Los Órganos, Máncora and Punta Sal.
- facilities
- Hotels and inns in Máncora, Los Órganos and Punta Sal. The sport fishing fleet is small, made up of tour operators and private boats. In Los Órganos boarding is at the artisanal fishing pier; in Punta Sal, from the beach.
- country
- Piura, Peru
tip
For striped marlin and sailfish on live bait, use a circle hook and release the fish in the water. Book your boat well in advance in summer: there are few.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
before you fish in Peru
In the Amazon, the Fisheries Management Regulation (DS 015-2009-PRODUCE) says individual sport fishing does not require a fishing permit; anyone fishing from a sport fishing vessel pays an access fee of 0.005 UIT per person per day, for total catch of up to 10 kg. At sea, individual sport fishing is treated as non-commercial and there is no specific license. In a natural protected area, enter with an operator authorized by SERNANP and pay the entry fee.
- Blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin and sailfish: commercial fishing and sale prohibited; in sport fishing, catch and release only (DS 009-2008-PRODUCE).
- Paiche (arapaima): season from March to September; fishing, holding, transporting and selling prohibited from October 1 to February 28 in public waters, except in the Putumayo basin (RM 215-2001-PE, amended by RM 320-2020-PRODUCE).
- Paiche: minimum catch size of 160 cm total length (RM 147-2001-PE, section 4.3, kept by DS 015-2009-PRODUCE).
- In natural protected areas of the Amazon, fishing follows the area's master plan and the fisheries management programs approved with SERNANP.
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official PRODUCE — Resolución Directoral 2251-2024-PRODUCE/DS-PA (aplica el DS 009-2008-PRODUCE)Transcribes the ban on commercial fishing for marlin and sailfish
- technical SPDA / ProDelphinus — Desarrollo de un marco legal para la pesca deportiva de picudos en Perú (2019)History of Cabo Blanco, Máncora Bank, season, operators and DS 009-2008-PRODUCE