East Cape Fishing Seasons: What's Biting Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall
The East Cape fishes all year. What changes is the target, the water and the wind. Here's a quick look at how the seasons play out from Los Barriles, so you can pick your dates around the fish you want.
Winter: North Wind, Yellowtail and Sierra
The north wind, El Norte, blows through the winter in runs of a few days, often with calmer mornings. The water sits around 71-72°F, so this is inshore season.
Sierra are thick along the beaches and great on light tackle and the fly. Yellowtail show up on the high spots and banks, and March is often excellent. Jack crevalle, snapper and cabrilla keep the inshore busy. On calm mornings we run to the banks for yellowtail.
Spring: The Season Wakes Up
From April the wind fades and the water warms toward the high 70s. For a lot of anglers this is the sweet spot.
Roosterfish arrive on the beaches in April, and the big ones show up in May. Sight-casting season starts here. Striped marlin move in, blue marlin season opens, and the first dorado and yellowfin tuna show up. Calm mornings make it easy to split a day between roosters on the beach and billfish offshore.
Summer: Hot Water, Big Fish
July to September brings the warmest water of the year, about 82-85°F. Seas are mostly calm and it's bluewater time.
Blue and black marlin, sailfish and striped marlin are all here. Dorado fishing peaks in late summer, yellowfin tuna are around, and wahoo start to show. Big roosterfish hold on the beaches through August, and amberjack and snapper are strong on the rocks. Fish early, because the bite and the heat both get going by mid-morning.
It's also hurricane season, with September carrying the most risk. Most days fish fine, but book with a little flexibility.
Fall: Wahoo, Tuna and Wide-Open Fishing
October is a local favorite. The storms are usually done, the water is still warm at about 84°F and the bite is wide open.
Wahoo are at their best in October and November, and yellowfin tuna can run strong into November. Dorado, marlin and sailfish stay in play through October, then taper off, and roosterfish hold on the beaches into November. As December cools things down, yellowtail and sierra come back and the north wind starts again.
Fishing the fly? Here's which patterns to tie on for each target, and when.
Want the details? Our full month-by-month East Cape fishing calendar guide, with water temps and more, is coming soon.
Book Your Dates
Tell us when you can come and what you want to catch on the Rates & Booking page, and we'll set you up with guided beach and offshore trips. Where lines get tight. See you on the water.
