What it is: Trolling means pulling a spread of lures or rigged baits behind the boat while it moves, usually at 6 to 9 knots for billfish and dorado, and faster for wahoo. It is the number one technique in Los Cabos because it lets the boat cover miles of blue water while presenting several baits at once.

How it works here: Crews run 4 to 6 lines in a staggered pattern using skirted lures, cedar plugs, feathers and rigged ballyhoo. When a fish strikes, the crew clears the other lines and the angler takes the rod, often from the fighting chair on larger boats.

Best for: Striped, blue and black marlin, dorado, wahoo and yellowfin tuna when fish are scattered. High speed trolling, at roughly 12 to 16 knots with weighted heads and wire leader, is the standard method for wahoo on the banks. See our wahoo fishing guide for details.

Advantages: Covers a lot of water, requires no casting skill, and multiple anglers can hook up at once. It is the easiest technique for first-timers and families.

Limitations: Less effective when fish are concentrated in one spot or feeding deep. On those days jigging or live bait usually wins, something we cover in depth in Jigging vs Trolling in Baja.

What it is: Kite fishing uses a specialized fishing kite to suspend a live bait, or an artificial flying fish, on the surface of the water away from the boat. The bait splashes and struggles on top with no visible line or leader, which is exactly what a big yellowfin tuna or marlin expects to see when it hunts flying fish.

Why use a kite: The presentation is nearly invisible. The line goes up to the kite instead of into the water, so leader-shy fish that refuse trolled lures will commit to a kite bait. In Los Cabos this technique is closely associated with trophy yellowfin tuna, and it is a favorite of tournament crews targeting the biggest fish on the banks.

What it requires: Wind. A kite needs a steady breeze to fly, which is why captains reach for it on the windy days when other surface techniques get sloppy. It also demands an experienced crew: flying the kite, managing the release clips and keeping the bait dancing on the surface is real work.

Best for: Large yellowfin tuna and marlin. If tuna are your goal, read our dedicated guide to tuna fishing techniques in Los Cabos, where kites, chunking and live bait tactics are covered in full.

Difficulty: Advanced for the crew, but not for you. The crew handles the technical side; the angler's job begins when the fish eats.

What it is: Fishing a live baitfish on a hook, either slow-trolled, drifted, or cast to visible fish. Day in and day out, live bait catches more quality fish in Los Cabos than any other single technique.

The local baits:

How it works here: Crews buy or catch bait at first light near the marina, then keep it alive in the tank. Offshore, a live caballito dropped back to a teased marlin is the classic Los Cabos hookup. Inshore, slow-trolled live bait along the beaches is the bread-and-butter technique for roosterfish.

Best for: Tuna, marlin, roosterfish, dorado. Essentially every gamefish in the region eats live bait.

Difficulty: Medium. Feeding a bait to a fish and letting it eat before setting the hook takes a little coaching, and the crew will walk you through it.

What it is: Dropping a heavy metal jig vertically to the bottom or to a marked depth, then retrieving it with sharp rhythmic lifts, or with the traditional Baja yo-yo style, a fast straight retrieve that local crews have used for generations.

Best for: Snapper, amberjack, yellowtail, grouper and yellowfin tuna holding deep. When fish show on the sounder but ignore surface presentations, the jig gets bit.

Where: The high spots and banks close to San José del Cabo, including the same structure covered in our best fishing spots guide.

We already have full resources on this technique, so we will keep it short here.

Read the complete jigging fishing guide for San José del Cabo, and the head-to-head comparison Jigging vs Trolling in Baja.

What it is: Fishing weighted bait rigs on or near the sea floor over reefs, rock piles and drop-offs. It is steady, productive and perfect for anglers who want consistent action and great-eating fish.

Best for: Grouper, snapper, triggerfish and amberjack. It works all year, it is friendly for kids and beginners, and it fills the cooler.

This technique has its own complete guide on our site, so we will not repeat it here.

Read the full bottom fishing guide, plus bottom fishing vs surface fishing and the reef fishing guide.

What it is: Casting large surface lures, poppers and stickbaits, and working them across the top to trigger explosive surface strikes. This is the GT-style technique adapted to Baja, and the visual strikes are unforgettable.

Best for: Roosterfish along the beaches in summer, plus jacks and toro. Nothing in inshore fishing matches the sight of a big rooster's comb slicing behind a popper.

What it demands: Heavy spinning tackle, long casts, and the stamina to cast for hours. Strong hooks and split rings matter because the strikes are violent. This is an advanced, physically active technique, best suited to anglers who want to work for a trophy rather than wait for one.

When: Peak roosterfish months in summer. Manage your expectations with our honest guide on how hard it really is to catch a roosterfish.

What it is: Fishing from the beach with spinning gear, casting lures or bait into the surf zone. San José del Cabo has miles of fishable beach, and at the right time of year the fish are within casting range.

Best for: Roosterfish, sierra, jacks and ladyfish, depending on the season.

We cover locations, seasons, tackle and technique in the dedicated surf fishing guide for San José del Cabo.

What it is: Saltwater fly fishing with 9 to 12 weight rods, from the boat or the beach, casting large baitfish patterns to roosterfish, jacks, dorado and even billfish behind teasers.

Best for: Roosterfish and jacks from spring through fall. It is the most technical way to fish Los Cabos and, for many anglers, the most rewarding.

Everything you need is in our dedicated guides: fly fishing in San José del Cabo, fly fishing Los Cabos and the honest answer to is Cabo good for fly fishing.