FISHING GUIDE · PIURA, PERU

Peru: Cabo Blanco, Máncora and El Ñuro Fishing Guide

Cabo Blanco was the most famous black marlin spot in the world in the 1950s, but the big fish became much scarcer after the early 1970s, when a severe El Niño and the collapse of the anchovy fishery changed the ocean food chain. Today boats from Máncora, Los Órganos and Punta Sal fish for striped marlin, tuna, wahoo and dorado, and the occasional black marlin, and all marlin and sailfish must be released. Much of this coast is now inside the Mar Tropical de Grau National Reserve, so check the reserve's zoning before you fish.

📍 Northwest Peru, Piura Region. Cabo Blanco is about 3 km northwest of El Alto in Talara Province. Máncora and Los Órganos are beach towns to the north, and El Ñuro is a small fishing cove with a pier. Offshore grounds include the Banco de Máncora and the area off Punta Sal (Tumbes).

Map: spots, ramps and marinas

★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)

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Quick facts

Alfred Glassell Jr. caught the IGFA all-tackle world record black marlin, 1,560 pounds, off Cabo Blanco on August 4, 1953.
The Cabo Blanco Fishing Club opened in 1953; Ernest Hemingway stayed there more than a month while filming The Old Man and the Sea.
Peru bans commercial catch and sale of blue, black and striped marlin and sailfish (D.S. 009-2008-PRODUCE); sport fishing for them is catch-and-release only.
Law 31815 (2023) says sport fishing done under D.S. 009-2008-PRODUCE does not need a fishing license, and names the Ernest Hemingway sport fishing festival at Cabo Blanco (first week of August) as of national interest.
In April 2024 Peru created the Mar Tropical de Grau National Reserve (115,675 ha); one of its four sectors is Cabo Blanco - El Ñuro, and another is the Banco de Máncora.

What you can catch

Striped marlin
Now the most common billfish caught; release required by law.
Black marlin
The historic Cabo Blanco fish; far fewer today. Release required.
Sailfish
Seen offshore; release required by law.
Swordfish
Caught north of Cabo Blanco; not covered by the marlin sale ban.
Yellowfin and bigeye tuna
Main winter target; Los Órganos is known for bigeye.
Wahoo
Offshore trolling catch.
Dorado (mahi-mahi)
Offshore catch.
Rainbow trout (Lake Titicaca)
Introduced to Lake Titicaca in 1942; introduced fish helped wipe out the native Titicaca orestias.

Month by month

January	Peak months for billfish trips run December to March (Banco de Máncora, Punta Sal).
February	Billfish season continues; the Punta Sal international tournament (IGFA rules, catch-and-release) is held each summer.
March	End of the main billfish trip season.
April	Fewer billfish reports; ask local captains about water temperature.
May	Ask local captains; cooler water can push billfish away.
June	Some sources list June-July for striped marlin; many boats switch to whale watching from June.
July	Winter trips mostly target tuna; striped marlin possible.
August	Hemingway festival at Cabo Blanco, first week of August. Some sources list Aug-Oct for black marlin.
September	Black marlin possible (reported); whale-watching season.
October	Black marlin possible (reported); whale-watching season.
November	Whale-watching season; billfish trips start to pick up toward December.
December	Billfish trip season starts (December to March).

Tips

Bring circle hooks and plan to release every marlin and sailfish in the water; keeping or selling them is illegal.
Water temperature decides the fishing here: warm water (23 C and up) brings tuna and marlin, cold current pushes them away.
Ask your captain about Mar Tropical de Grau reserve zoning around Cabo Blanco, El Ñuro and the Banco de Máncora.
At El Ñuro the pier is used by local boats and turtle-watching trips; do not touch or feed sea turtles.
Rules for sport fishing in Peru are still thin, so check with PRODUCE or your operator before the trip.

Rules and license

Ministerio de la Producción (PRODUCE); SERNANP for the Mar Tropical de Grau National Reserve · Official rules page ↗

Blue, black and striped marlin and sailfish: commercial catch and sale banned; sport fishing allowed only as catch-and-release (D.S. 009-2008-PRODUCE).
Law 31815 (2023): sport fishing done under D.S. 009-2008-PRODUCE does not need a fishing license.
Peru has no detailed sport fishing rule set yet (no clear bag limits for anglers); check current rules.
Mar Tropical de Grau National Reserve (D.S. 003-2024-MINAM) covers Cabo Blanco - El Ñuro, Banco de Máncora, Isla Foca and Punta Sal reefs; activities must follow its zoning and master plan.
Swordfish is not on the marlin catch-and-release list; check current rules before keeping one.
Visiting anglers may bring their own boats in under simplified temporary-entry rules (Law 31815).

Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.

Boat ramps and marinas

The map above shows 0 boat ramps and 0 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.

Sources

Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.