Captain Dave Hansen | Saltwater Fishing From West Coast Halibut to Cabo Marlin is a Tom Rowland Podcast interview with a third-generation fishing guide known as 'Your Saltwater Guide,' who has spent 50 years in the saltwater fishing industry and now operates out of Cabo San Lucas. The conversation covers Cabo's unique geography, the 14-year halibut fishery closure on the West Coast, and how Dave built a social-media following of over a million people with YouTube videos reaching 20 million views.
Listen now: press play in the YouTube player above, or listen to the episode here.
The best times to fish Cabo are late fall, winter, and spring when the weather is great and the fishing is hot. Summers can be hot with a lot of rain and slower fishing conditions.
Striped marlin are smaller, faster, and more acrobatic — what Captain Dave Hansen calls probably the most fun marlin to catch. Black marlin are much larger, weighing 500 to 600 pounds, and provide a methodical power battle instead.
Captain Dave Hansen has over a million subscribers and followers across all social media platforms combined, with YouTube videos that have reached up to 20 million views.
The fishery experienced a golden age in the 1980s catching 600 to 900 pounds of halibut per boat daily, before depletion led to a 14-year closure. After NOAA implemented individual fishing quotas, the fishery recovered.
Cabo sits where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez, a convergence that supports pelagic species like marlin, tuna, mahi, and dorado, plus bottom feeders like snapper and grouper, and inshore roosterfish.
Captain Dave Hansen is a third-generation fishing guide with 50 years in the industry who operates as 'Your Saltwater Guide' out of Cabo San Lucas, having started working for his father's Dana Point Harbor operation at age 14.
I love conversations with people who've been in the industry as long as Dave Hansen. Fifty years of experience gives you a perspective that you just can't get any other way, and his story spans the golden age of West Coast halibut fishing to building a million-follower social-media brand.
Dave Hansen's entry into professional fishing wasn't planned. Working for his father at Dana Point Sport Fishing, Dave went from renting fishing poles to earning his captain's license at 19 and commanding vessels carrying 60 people by age 23. Worth hearing him tell it.
During the 1980s, Dave's boats were catching six to 900 pounds of halibut per day. Then the fishery collapsed, leading to a 14-year closure. Dave explains what happened during those years and why he now sees that period as proof that proper management works.
Dave built his digital empire with a camera and the internet — videos that have reached 20 million views and over a million followers across platforms. He shares his philosophy on building a sustainable social-media brand rooted in authenticity.
Dave breaks down the differences between these two iconic species and explains why marlin fishing remains one of the most sought-after experiences in saltwater fishing. Press play to hear his take.
Listen now: press play in the YouTube player above, or listen here.
I love conversations with people who've been in the industry as long as Dave Hansen. What really struck me was his perspective on fishery management — the 14-year closure of the halibut fishery and how individual fishing quotas brought it back to health is the kind of real-world case study that should inform how we think about conservation and business.
I'm also planning my trip to Cabo after this conversation. If you've been thinking about Cabo, or if you're curious about building a legitimate online brand in the fishing space, press play above and listen to the whole thing.
Captain Dave Hansen (Your Saltwater Guide, Cabo San Lucas), Tom Rowland (host)
Captain Dave Hansen, known as 'Your Saltwater Guide,' has spent 50 years in the saltwater fishing industry. His father started in the sport fishing business in 1947 out of Dana Point Harbor. Dave started working in his father's office at age 14, earned his 100-ton master's license at 19, and was running boats with 60 passengers by age 23. He now operates out of Cabo San Lucas and has built a social media following of over a million across all platforms, with YouTube videos reaching up to 20 million views. Connect: yourSaltwaterGuide.com, Instagram @yoursaltwaterguide62.
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