East Cape Fishing Report: October 29, 2026 — Big Grouper and Deep Structure
Weekly Fishing Report · Tight Line Anglers · Los Barriles, Baja California Sur
Fish On! This East Cape fishing report goes deep: big grouper, amberjack, yellowtail and snapper off the high spots, roosters on the Los Barriles beach and yellowfin offshore. Vance's leftover swell lumps things up through Friday, then the weekend lies down flat.
What We're Seeing on the Water
Structure: Grouper, Amberjack and Snapper
Big grouper are eating on the high spots and deep rocky bottom, and they don't come up easy. They hit, turn and head for their hole. Win the first few cranks or you're tied to a rock.
Amberjack are on the same spots and pull hard all the way up. Yellowtail and snapper are mixed in, and the deeper drops are giving up nice reef fish.
Inshore: Roosters, Jacks and Sierra
Roosters are still right off the Los Barriles beach, with jack crevalle and sierra working the same water. Early is best. Cast to the bait, strip fast and hang on.
Offshore: Yellowfin, Marlin and Wahoo
Yellowfin keep turning up, sometimes on the same day as a load of snapper and amberjack. Blue marlin and wahoo are around. Offshore days depend on the swell through Friday, so pick your window.
Storm Watch: Tropical Storm Vance
As of NHC Advisory 32 (2 AM BCS today), Tropical Storm Vance was about 160 miles (260 km) southeast of Cabo San Lucas with 40 mph (65 km/h) winds, drifting north-northeast at 7 mph (11 km/h). NHC expects it to weaken into a post-tropical low later today and fall apart Friday. There are no watches or warnings for Baja California Sur.
The swell is the issue. NHC says Vance's swells will reach southern Baja over the next couple of days, with dangerous surf and rip currents. Local reports say the port captain closed Cabo San Lucas and San José del Cabo to small boats Tuesday night, and heavy rain hit Los Cabos. Driving from the airport? Take flooded arroyo crossings seriously.
Check NHC and SMN/CONAGUA. The port captain decides when boats go out. Booked in the next few days? Talk to us.
The Next Few Days
Thu (today): North breeze to ~13 mph (21 km/h), southeast swell 3–4 ft (1–1.3 m). Fish close to the beach.
Fri: Light wind, seas easing to about 3 ft (0.9 m), but a ~70% shower chance. Be ready to move with the weather.
Sat–Sun: The window. Seas about 1 ft (0.2–0.3 m), light breeze. Run to the high spots or go offshore.
Mon–Wed: North wind fills in to ~15 mph (24 km/h), seas 2–3 ft (0.6–0.8 m) with a short chop. Get out early and fish the lee.
Cabo / Mag Bay: Cabo 7–8 ft (2.3 m) of southerly swell today, about 5 ft (1.5 m) after. Mag Bay 5–6 ft (1.6–1.9 m) all week.
Conditions in Detail
Air: Highs 84–90°F (29–32°C), lows 69–75°F (21–24°C).
Water (satellite, Oct 28): East Cape ~88°F (31°C), Cabo ~87°F (30.8°C), Mag Bay ~85°F (29.4°C).
Tides (La Paz, nearest station): Morning highs around 7:30 AM today, about 4.2 ft (1.3 m), sliding to about 6:40 AM and 3.5 ft (1.1 m) by midweek. Evening lows dip below zero through Saturday (about -0.6 ft / -0.2 m tonight around 5:50 PM).
Moon: Last quarter Sun Nov 1, 1:28 PM BCS. New moon Mon Nov 9, just after midnight BCS.
Gear & Flies This Week
Grouper and amberjack: Heavy conventional, 50–80 lb class, with heavy jigs or live bait on the bottom. Max drag and short pumps. Don't give them line.
Snapper and yellowtail: Same spots, a little lighter: jigs tight to the rocks or live bait.
Roosters: From the panga, live bait slow-trolled tight to the beach. On fly, a 10–12 wt, clear intermediate line, 40 lb fluoro, mullet or sardine patterns.
Jacks and sierra: 9–10 wt, intermediate line, baitfish flies stripped fast. Sierra have teeth, so run a short bite tippet.
Yellowfin: 30–50 lb class conventional with live bait. On fly, a 12 wt, sinking line, sardine patterns.
New to deep structure? Our East Cape bottom fishing guide covers jigging and live bait on the reef. The full packing list is on our Gear and Prep page.
Around the East Cape
Bisbee's Black & Blue (Oct 21–24, Cabo): A 491 lb blue marlin caught on day one off the Gordo Banks won it, with a record single-fish payout.
Bisbee's Mag Bay Mania: Nov 1–30, a virtual billfish tournament where teams pick any three days. Registration closes Oct 31.
License: Every angler on the boat needs a Mexican sportfishing license from CONAPESCA.
Missed the big roosters at first light? Catch last week's report.
Book Your Days
Dream big and go big: check rates and ask us about your dates for a beach morning, a structure day on the panga or a heavy-tackle run offshore. We fish the East Cape / Los Barriles, Cabo, Mag Bay and San Evaristo on fly, light tackle and heavy tackle. Already in Baja this week? Send us your dates and we'll find you a window. Follow along at @tlanglersbaja.
Where lines get tight. See you on the water.
Conditions sourced Oct 29, 2026 from NHC, NOAA (satellite SST, tides), USNO, Open-Meteo. Always check official sources before heading out.
