The Season's Final Chapter
Every fishing season has a moment when the air changes — not enough to call it the end, not yet, but enough to know that the end is coming. On the Andaman, that moment arrives in March. The mornings are still beautiful. The sea is often calmer in March than it has been all season, the northeast wind having largely subsided to leave the surface glassy and reflective before the afternoon heat builds. But there is warmth in that stillness that was not there in January, and by the third week of the month the haze on the horizon and the weight of the afternoon sun make it clear that the monsoon is, eventually, coming.
March remains a legitimate and rewarding month to fish the Andaman. Anglers who approach it with accurate expectations — excellent conditions in the first half, very good fishing, a gradually thinning sailfish population but consistent GT and reef action throughout — will leave satisfied. Those who expect December or January and arrive in the third week of March may find themselves chasing a bite that has moved on. The key is timing and realism, and on both counts, March rewards the informed angler.
Weather and Water Conditions
The northeast monsoon was clearly winding down through March 2026. Early in the month, wind conditions were still producing reasonable northeast breezes, but by the second half the wind had dropped to near-calm on many days, replaced by the building heat of the inter-monsoon transition. Afternoons on the later liveaboard departures were notably warmer than anything the season had produced, and the flat calm that often characterised mid-March mornings — beautiful for fishing but occasionally relentless by midday — was a signature of the season's end.
Water temperatures climbed through the month, rising from the 27–28°C range at the start to 29–30°C by the final weeks. The thermocline that had been such a productive tool for finding concentrated baitfish and sailfish began to weaken and deepen, reducing the effectiveness of the upper-water presentations that had characterised the peak season. Visibility remained good — often very good — through most of March, though by month's end there were early signs of the biological productivity that the rising temperatures and eventual southwest monsoon will trigger.
In March, successful sailfish crews paid close attention to birdlife and surface slicks rather than relying solely on the current edges and bait concentrations that were so reliable in January and February. The fish are fewer and more dispersed — finding them requires active searching rather than returning to proven marks.
Sailfish: Thinning but Present
The sailfish population on the grounds through the first half of March was still sufficient to produce quality fishing. Day charters working the offshore grounds out of Phuket and Khao Lak were reporting encounters through the opening two weeks of the month, with the better days still producing multiple releases for crews willing to cover water and work the bait schools actively.
By mid-March, however, the pattern that defines the season's close was establishing. Fewer fish on the grounds overall, longer searches between productive patches, and a proportion of the encounters resulting in follows that did not convert to strikes — the sails, like the season, beginning to wind down. The last week of March was productive only on the better individual days, with captains running longer to find active fish and the bite windows narrowing compared to the predictable all-day action of January.
The March sails that are still on the grounds are worth pursuing. They are fat, strong fish and the competition from other boats is far lower than in January — on a good mid-March day, you might have the grounds largely to yourself.
For visiting anglers targeting sailfish specifically, the recommendation is consistent: if your window falls in early March, book with confidence. If you are arriving after the 15th, build the trip around GT popping and jigging with sailfish as a hopeful addition rather than the headline expectation.
GT Popping: The Season's Most Reliable Late-Month Target
March was an excellent month for GT popping, and the consistency of the bite through the entire month — including the final week, when the sailfish grounds had largely gone quiet — was one of the season's more pleasing conclusions. Koh Bon held fish throughout March and the GT action there was arguably the most dependable fishing available as the season wound down.
The popping crowd at Tap Lamu reported solid GT activity around Koh Bon through the second half of the month, with the fish remaining aggressive on surface poppers and stick baits even as water temperatures climbed. GTs are more tolerant of warming water than sailfish, and the late-season tendency for the fish to push onto the shallower reef flats as baitfish concentrate there made for some exciting sight-casting opportunities.
March GT fishing at Koh Bon often produces the best action of the day in the final hour before sunset, when the water temperature at the surface is marginally lower after a full day of direct sun, and the fish that have been holding in the shade of deeper structure move up onto the reef edge. Do not pack up early.
Koh Tachai continued to produce for liveaboard popping crews through the first half of March. The bigger, more aggressive fish that characterise the Tachai pinnacles were still responding to heavy poppers on the right tidal state, and slow-pitch jigging in the breaks between popping sessions accounted for dogtooth tuna on the deeper marks through most of the month.
Liveaboards: The Final Itineraries
March is the last reliable month for full liveaboard itineraries on the Andaman northern circuit. Operators typically run their final departures in late March or the very first days of April, with the risk of poor weather increasing rapidly as the inter-monsoon transition takes hold. These final trips carry a particular character — the crew know it is the last run of the season, the fish are still there if you work for them, and the sense of the curtain coming down adds an intensity to every session.
Most liveaboard operators were completing their final departures through the last week of March 2026, with several wrapping the season in mid-month to allow time for the maintenance work that the southwest monsoon lay-up period requires. Anglers who had booked these final itineraries were rewarded with excellent conditions — the late-season calm producing some of the smoothest passages to the northern grounds of the entire season.
The Gap Season: April and the Monsoon Transition
The inter-monsoon period — roughly April through mid-May — is not a total fishing shutdown but it is not peak Andaman territory either. Sheltered areas close inshore and within the bay systems around Phang Nga and Krabi can produce interesting reef and mangrove fishing in April, and flat calm days occasionally allow small boats to work the nearer offshore grounds. But the serious offshore charter and liveaboard fishing that defines the Andaman high season is over until November.
The Gulf of Thailand, with its own distinct monsoon pattern, comes into better condition as the Andaman winds down, and anglers transitioning from an Andaman season to a Gulf trip through April can extend their productive fishing window considerably.
If you are planning next season's Andaman trip, the window to secure preferred liveaboard berths for November through February opens now. The best operators for the 2026–27 season are already taking deposits for peak months. Don't wait until September.
Season Summary
The 2025–26 Andaman season that closes with March was, by any measure, a strong one. The sailfish grounds produced consistently from the December acceleration through to mid-March, the GT and jigging fisheries delivered reliable action throughout, and the conditions across the peak months were excellent. Liveaboard operators reported well-satisfied guests and the day-charter grounds out of Phuket and Khao Lak provided outstanding fishing to anglers who planned their trips around the peak months.
The season demonstrated, again, what the Andaman does better than almost anywhere in Southeast Asia: concentrated, accessible, world-class sailfish fishing in the January-February window, combined with a year-round GT and reef fishery that provides substance to the broader fishing calendar. The 2026–27 season cannot come around quickly enough.
For strategy around the Andaman season closure, read our monsoon season fishing guide. To plan ahead for the new season, see our best time to fish in Thailand guide and liveaboard operators Thailand overview.
