Mazatlan’s rich sport fishing heritage is one of Mexico’s oldest and dates back into the 1960s when famous movie stars came to fish at an undiscovered farming and commercial fishing town that billed itself as “The Pearl of the Pacific,” “The Billfish Capitol of the World,” and “The Sailfish Capitol of the World.” Today’s Mazatlan has grown into a world-class vacation resort complex where fishing is almost – but not quite - overshadowed. The fleets are still there, and the offshore and inshore fishing opportunities of the Mazatlan area still attract anglers year-round.

Mazatlan’s many sport fishing fleets are located in several areas including Marina Mazatlan, in the traditional main harbor fronting the town’s historic district, and a few miles north in the Marina el Cid area. The city is home to some of Mexico’s largest commercial fishing fleets and a highly developed vacation travel industry of half-a-century’s standing. Sport fishing charter boats of every description, ranging from humble skiffs to large yachts, are available through a host of hotels and booking agents.

Fishing at Mazatlan is characterized by both tropical and temperate influences. Mazatlan’s sport fishing action might be thought of as being at the extreme southern limit of the Sea of Cortez’s temperate waters, and also at the extreme northern end of Mexico’s purely tropical fishery extending to the Guatemalan border. Offshore fishing water temperatures in the Mazatlan area may climb into the high-80s in midsummer, accompanied by warm, humid tropical weather, but stiff northern winds and currents may also bring water temperatures as low as the mid-60s in February or March. This range of water temperatures brings major offshore fish species such as striped marlin during the cooler water winter months of December through May, and warm water game fish such as sailfish, dorado, and black and blue marlin from June through November. Offshore runs also catch yellow fin tuna, wahoo and mako shark, and are generally of medium length, averaging about 20 to 25 miles, and generally towards the southwest. Fishing at Mazatlan is year-round, however, so runs of offshore species such as dorado and yellow fin tuna may occur in any month.

In addition, inshore bottom fishing at Mazatlan is good for an unusually wide variety of species including snook, true red snapper or huachinango, triggerfish, sierra, various grouper and bass species, roosterfish, pompano, corvina, mixed jacks, mojarra, and a large variety of assorted surface and bottom fish species. Guided surf fishing along beaches north of the city can be excellent for roosterfish into the 30-pound class. This inshore fishing, usually from super pangas or similar boats, can be so productive in nearby Mazatlan waters during the warmer months that it sometimes reaches epic “wide-open” proportions, and self-restraint must be exercised, especially by the casual, vacationing angler who may not be familiar with Mexican sport fishing bag limits or with the potential damage to the fishery that can be done by “loading up” unnecessarily.

Mazatlan also offers freshwater black bass fishing at two nearby world famous lakes, El Salto and Comedero.