Seasons & Techniques

Madagascar fishes almost year-round, but the calendar matters — sea conditions and target species shift hard from season to season.

The best months to fish Madagascar run April through November — outside that window the monsoon takes over and the sea gets tough.

Species by month — when to target each fish
Species	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
GT	OK	OK	Top	Top	Top	OK	OK	OK	OK	OK	Top	Top
Sailfish	Rare	Rare	Rare	Rare	OK	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	OK	OK
Black marlin	Top	OK	OK	OK	OK	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top
Yellowfin tuna	–	–	–	OK	Top	Top	Top	OK	OK	–	–	–
Dogtooth tuna	OK	OK	Top	Top	OK	OK	OK	OK	OK	OK	OK	OK
Wahoo	Rare	Rare	Rare	OK	OK	Top	Top	Top	OK	Top	OK	OK
King mackerel	Rare	Rare	Rare	OK	OK	Top	Top	Top	OK	Top	OK	OK
Dorado	Rare	Rare	Rare	OK	OK	Top	Top	Top	OK	Top	OK	OK
Grouper	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top	Top
Cobia	–	–	–	–	–	Good	OK	Top	Top	Top	OK	–

Top
OK
Good
Rare
–

Wet Season

January – March

Climate: Monsoon season, humid, high temperatures
Sea: Rough, difficult seas

Black marlin (peak in January)GT (peak in March)Dogtooth tuna (peak in March)Grouper (year-round top)

Fishing is limited, but vertical jigging and popping stay viable whenever the sea allows.

Autumn

April – June

Climate: Beautiful and dry — 21–23°C at night, 30–33°C by day
Sea: Calm and favourable

GT (peak Apr–May)Dogtooth tuna (peak in April)Yellowfin tuna (peak May–Jun)Sailfish (building to a peak in June)Black marlin (peak in June)Wahoo, king mackerel & dorado (all peak in June)Grouper (year-round top)

Prime season for offshore trolling.

Winter

June – September

Climate: Tropically mild, very few mosquitoes
Sea: Very calm

Sailfish (top throughout)Black marlin (top throughout)Yellowfin tuna (peak Jun–Jul)Wahoo, king mackerel & dorado (peak Jun–Aug)Cobia (peak Aug–Sep)Grouper (year-round top)

Widely considered the best overall window — cooler water pulls in pelagic predators.

Spring

October – November

Climate: Early pre-monsoon humidity building
Sea: Still excellent

Black marlin (top throughout)Sailfish (peak in October)Wahoo, king mackerel, dorado & cobia (all peak in October)GT (peak in November)Grouper (year-round top)

Fishing remains excellent before the December rains arrive.

Fishing Techniques

Depending on the season and the target species, our crew switches between:

Offshore trolling
Lures and rigged baits pulled at speed along current lines and drop-offs — the go-to method for marlin, sailfish, wahoo, dorado and yellowfin, best April–October.
Inshore trolling
Slower trolling closer to the reef edge for GT, kingfish and other reef predators.
Spinning — stickbaits & poppers
Topwater and subsurface lures worked over reef structure to trigger explosive GT and trevally strikes.
Vertical jigging
Metal jigs worked through the water column over structure and drop-offs — productive even when the monsoon keeps the surface rough.
Inchiku
A hybrid jig-and-bait technique that works well for grouper and other reef species.
Bottom fishing (bolentino)
Baited rigs fished on the bottom for grouper and other structure-oriented species, productive year-round.
Live-bait drifting
Drifting live bait through current lines — a deadly method for sailfish and marlin.
Fly fishing
Sight-casting to sailfish and giant trevally on fly gear, for anglers chasing the ultimate challenge.