East Cape Fishing Report: October 8, 2026 — Sails, Roosters and a Storm to Watch
Weekly Fishing Report · Tight Line Anglers · Los Barriles, Baja California Sur
Welcome to our first weekly East Cape fishing report. The water is bathtub-warm, sails are showing offshore and roosters are running the beaches. There's also a tropical system to the south we're keeping a close eye on, so we'll cover the weather first.
At a Glance: Los Barriles / East Cape, Oct 8–14
Air temp: Highs 85–92°F (29–33°C), lows 73–82°F (23–28°C)
Water temp: About 87–88°F (31°C) East Cape; about 84°F (29°C) off Mag Bay
Wind: Light, 8–13 mph (13–21 km/h); gusts to about 26 mph (42 km/h) Mon
Seas: Under 2 ft (0.6 m) Thu–Sat, about 4 ft (1.2 m) Sun, about 10 ft (3 m) Mon, about 2 ft (0.6 m) Tue
Moon: New moon Sat Oct 10, 8:50 AM (BCS time)
Tides (La Paz): Morning highs about 3.8 ft (1.2 m), afternoon lows near 0 ft by Mon–Tue
Storm status: TS Simon is heading toward mainland Mexico; seas build here Sun–Mon
Overall: Good Thu–Sat ✅ · Weather-dependent Sun–Mon ⚠️
Storm Watch: Tropical Storm Simon
As of NHC's early Thursday advisory, Tropical Storm Simon was about 195 miles south-southwest of Lázaro Cárdenas with 50 mph winds. NHC expects rapid strengthening, with Simon becoming a major hurricane by late Friday or early Saturday.
NHC's track takes Simon toward the west-central coast of mainland Mexico, not straight at the Cape. NHC also notes that its day-4 and day-5 track errors average 100–125 nautical miles. Separately, marine models show seas off Los Barriles reaching about 10 ft (3 m) on Monday.
Watch the official sources: NHC, SMN/CONAGUA and Protección Civil BCS.
The port captain decides when boats go out. If the port closes, nobody fishes, us included. During Polo and Rachel, the ports here closed and reopened more than once.
Booked this weekend or early next week? We'll reach out to you, or you can contact us about your booking. If we have to reschedule, we will. Safety comes first.
What We're Seeing on the Water
Offshore: Sailfish in the Blue
Our hero shot says it all: a sailfish boatside on deep blue water with a light chop. It came up for a quick photo and went right back in.
Roosters: Big Fish, Gentle Releases
Roosters are why most of you come here, and they're showing. One of our anglers got in the water to revive a big fish and held it upright until it kicked away strong.
Another pair teamed up on a solid rooster from the panga. The water was glassy and the sky hazy, which is classic for working bait along the beach.
On roosters: Mexico's sportfishing rule (NOM-017-PESC-1994) reserves pez gallo for sportfishing and allows two per angler per day. We release every rooster, and we ask you to as well. Keep them wet, shoot your photo fast and revive them before you let go.
Inshore: Pargo on the Rocks
A bright red-orange pargo came up off structure, with the beach and palapas in view. Inshore days are a smart call when swell keeps you from running far.
Water & Weather This Week
Water: NOAA's satellite data puts the surface at 87.6°F (30.9°C) off Los Barriles and 87.3°F (30.7°C) off Cabo. That's warm, blue water, the kind dorado, sails and tuna like.
Rain: Chances rise Saturday (60%) through Monday (45%).
Cabo and Mag Bay: The Pacific side gets the swell first. Cabo seas build from about 5 ft (1.5 m) to about 12 ft (3.7 m) Sun–Mon. Mag Bay runs 6–10 ft (2–3 m) all week.
Best Gear & Flies This Week
Roosters, fly: 10–12 wt with a clear intermediate line, plus 30–40 lb fluorocarbon. Throw sardine and mullet patterns (Hollow Fleyes, Deceivers, big Clousers) in sizes 2/0–4/0. Strip fast, because roosters won't chase a slow fly.
Roosters, light tackle: Poppers or walk-the-dog plugs on 20–30 lb braid, or live bait slow-trolled on circle hooks.
Sails, fly: 12–14 wt, 20 lb class tippet to an 80–100 lb bite leader. Use pink/white or blue/white tube or popper-head flies, fished bait-and-switch behind hookless teasers.
Sails, light tackle: Live bait or ballyhoo on circle hooks with 20–30 lb gear.
Pargo: 9–10 wt with a 300–450 grain sinking line and Clousers or crab patterns. On light tackle, use jigs or live sardine on 30–40 lb. Either way, turn the fish's head fast before it reaches the rocks.
Our full checklist is on the Gear and Prep page.
East Cape Fishing Report: What to Expect This Week
Thu–Sat: This is the window. Flat water, light wind and warm water. We'll fish the beaches early for roosters and run offshore while it's calm.
Sun–Mon: Depends on Simon and the swell. Expect possible port restrictions and rescheduled trips.
Tue on: Seas are forecast to lie back down. After a swell, roosters often push back onto the beaches once the water clears.
New moon Saturday: The bigger tides around the dark moon tend to get bait moving.
Around the East Cape
Los Cabos Billfish Tournament: Fishing Oct 8–10 in Cabo San Lucas
Palmas de Cortez Fall Spectacular: Oct 8–12, Los Barriles
East Cape Classic New Spin: Oct 14–18, Palmas de Cortez
Bisbee's Los Cabos Offshore: Fishing Oct 14–16. Black & Blue: Fishing Oct 21–23
Bisbee's Mag Bay Mania: Nov 1–30, a new release format
The weather can change these dates, so check with the organizers.
License: Every angler aboard needs a Mexican sportfishing license. Get yours from CONAPESCA before you come.
Book Your Days
Want to get tight in Baja? Ask us about your dates for beach, inshore or offshore days. Mag Bay or San Evaristo are on our fisheries page. Follow @tlanglersbaja for fresh catches.
Where lines get tight. See you on the water.
Conditions sourced Oct 8, 2026 from NHC, NOAA, Open-Meteo and USNO. Always check official sources before heading out.
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