The eighth annual Copa Presidente Marlini sportfishing tournament wrapped up with an awards ceremony at Marina Cabo San Lucas, closing out a weekend that drew 46 teams and 246 anglers to the docks. The 2026 edition remained a fixture on the fall season’s Marlini tournament calendar, though this year’s turnout of 46 teams was down from the roughly 66 teams that competed in the previous edition.
Team Phantom took first place in the tuna category with a catch weighing 79.9 pounds. Team Ray Fishing topped the wahoo division with a 48.8-pound fish. Across the full field, scorers logged just 10 fish on the scale, a modest number by the tournament’s standards, according to the municipal government of Los Cabos.
Why the Weigh-Ins Were Lighter Than Usual
Organizers pointed to weather conditions offshore as the main reason the dorado category went empty this year. Juan Javier García Davis, director of the municipality’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Department (Dirección Municipal de Pesca y Acuacultura), led the awards ceremony on behalf of Los Cabos Mayor Christian Agúndez Gómez and said the conditions kept boats from finding the dorado bite, even though turnout and participation held steady.
Low dorado counts aren’t unusual during shifts in water temperature or current patterns, and anglers tracking conditions week to week can check the regular Fish Report for updates on what’s biting around Cabo San Lucas and the surrounding grounds.
Who Organizes the Tournament
The Copa Presidente Marlini is run by the Los Cabos municipal government through its fisheries department, working with private sponsor Marlini Group. City officials describe the event as part of a broader push to support sportfishing in coordination with the private sector and local fishing industry, a partnership model the municipality has used for this tournament in past years as well.
What It Means for the Fall Tournament Circuit
With Copa Marlini in the books, the fall sportfishing calendar in Los Cabos keeps moving toward its winter stretch. Anglers and boat owners planning ahead can expect more organized events to follow the same format: municipal backing, local sponsors, and a mix of resident and visiting teams competing for tuna, wahoo and dorado titles. For now, Phantom and Ray Fishing hold the bragging rights for 2026, and the docks at Marina Cabo San Lucas will likely see another full field when the ninth edition rolls around next fall.
