La Paz is getting a new addition to its fishing calendar this weekend, and it comes with a cause attached. The state’s Secretaría de Turismo y Economía (SETUE), Baja California Sur’s tourism and economy office, is inviting women anglers to sign up for the first Onco Reto Ferre-Mar fishing tournament, set for Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1.
The event is organized with Grupo OncoReto, a local nonprofit that supports women undergoing breast cancer treatment, and sponsor Ferre-Mar. Organizers say it’s the first tournament of its kind in the state built specifically around that combination: women-only competition and direct support for cancer patients.
When and Where to Register
Registration takes place Saturday, October 31, along Rosales and Álvaro Obregón streets in downtown La Paz. Organizers have also planned live music and family-friendly entertainment at the registration site, turning sign-up day into a small street event on its own.
Fishing begins early the next morning. The start gun goes off at 6:30 a.m. Sunday from La Paz’s Muelle Fiscal, the city’s main fishing pier, sending boats out into the Gulf of California for the day’s competition. Dorado, known locally as dorado and widely called mahi-mahi outside Mexico, is the tournament’s target species.
A Prize Purse With a Cause
SETUE has confirmed a guaranteed prize purse of 300,000 pesos, or roughly $16,000 USD at current exchange rates, for the inaugural event. Part of the tournament’s purpose, however, goes beyond the leaderboard.
“It fills us with satisfaction that they are the protagonists of a tournament that goes beyond competition, because it represents an opportunity to stand alongside and offer hope to those going through a difficult situation,” said SETUE head Maribel Collins Sánchez, speaking at a press event ahead of the tournament, according to the state government of Baja California Sur.
Cristina Higuera Murillo, president of Grupo OncoReto, laid out the registration logistics at the same event, alongside the association’s secretary, María Cristina Razura Torre, treasurer Rossana Graillet Nava, and Ferre-Mar representative Perla Rocha.
Part of a Growing Trend
Women-only fishing events have been gaining traction in Baja California Sur over the past few seasons, from La Paz’s first women’s shore fishing tournament to broader efforts to get more women into the sport, chronicled in pieces like Women Redefine Fishing in Baja California Sur. Onco Reto Ferre-Mar adds a charitable layer to that momentum, linking a day on the water directly to support for local cancer patients.
What to Know Before the Weekend
Anyone interested in competing should plan to register in person Saturday at the Rosales and Álvaro Obregón location in La Paz rather than waiting until race day. With the format brand new this year, organizers haven’t announced whether it will become an annual fixture, but a strong turnout this weekend would make that more likely. Spectators are welcome at both the Saturday registration event and Sunday’s dockside start at the Muelle Fiscal.
