Spring is the season of fresh starts—longer days, rising water temps, baitfish waking up, and predators sliding into places you can actually reach. Rivers come back to life after winter’s grip. Flats and estuaries refill with cruising fish. And in the far north, meltwater flips the switch on some of the most dramatic feeding windows of the year.

It’s also one of the best times to travel as an angler: shoulder-season rates in many destinations, fewer crowds than peak summer, and fish that are often moving with purpose—spawning, staging, or hunting hard in warming shallows. Here are some more tips about fishing in spring.

Below are twelve spring trips that deliver the full package: memorable scenery, clear seasonal timing, and the kind of fishing that keeps you replaying strikes in your head long after you’re home. As always, check local seasons, licensing, and regulations—spring is prime spawning time in many places, and responsible angling matters.

March

Florida Everglades — snook, redfish, sea trout

March in Florida feels like the throttle opening. Backcountry waters warm just enough to turn on bait movement, and with it comes a surge of aggressive inshore predators. Snook begin pushing onto shorelines and points, redfish tail across shallow flats on calm mornings, and sea trout stack on edges where depth changes and current meet. This is a “work the water” fishery: sight-cast when you can, then fan-cast lanes with soft plastics, spoons, and suspending plugs. A guide here isn’t a luxury—it’s a shortcut to reading wind, tide, and color changes that determine whether you’re fishing dead water or the day’s best window.

Belize — bonefish, permit, tarpon

Spring on the flats in Belize is when the “big three” starts to feel genuinely possible in a single trip. Bonefish tail in skinny water, permit cruise the edges like nervous grey ghosts, and tarpon begin showing in numbers that make your knees weak. The game here is positioning: wind angle, sun at your back, and a guide who sees fish you swear aren’t there. For bonefish, quick casts and clean stripping are everything. For permit, it’s a mindset—patience, precision, and accepting that the reward is earned. And when tarpon roll, you’ll understand why this fish has its own religion. Learn more about the Atlantic tarpon and saltwater fly fishing.

South Island, New Zealand — Chinook salmon

March in New Zealand is a classic “last call” window for salmon before the season winds down in many areas. The late-summer run still pushes into major South Island systems—especially the big, braided eastern rivers—often kicking into gear after a fresh (flood) that draws fish upriver and then clears to perfect fishing color. It’s a wonderfully active, mobile style of angling: covering likely water at river mouths and lower reaches, working spinners and lures through seams, or fishing baits when conditions and regulations allow. If you want a slightly different March play, the larger West Coast lakes are also highlighted as a prime time to chase salmon before some of those fisheries close later in autumn. Learn more about trout and salmon fishing in New Zealand.

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico — striped marlin

March is when Cabo’s offshore reputation feels fully justified. As spring settles in, striped marlin remain a headline act, with many local guides pointing to March through May as a prime window for consistent shots at fish. The program is classic bluewater hunting: crews work temperature breaks, current edges, and bait-rich zones where marlin rise to the spread, then capitalize fast when a fish shows. Most days revolve around proven tactics—trolling to locate fish, then switching to slow-trolled or pitched baits once the bite materializes, keeping hooks in the water and opportunities coming. Add Cabo’s easy logistics, short runs to productive water (on the right days), and that unmistakable Sea of Cortez/Pacific energy, and you’ve got a spring marlin destination that delivers both action and pure spectacle—lit-up fish, screaming drags, and jumps that rewrite your definition of “close to the boat.”

April

Louisiana Marsh — redfish

April is peak “let’s go bend rods” season in Louisiana. Water temps climb, bait floods into the marsh, and redfish respond the way redfish do: with reckless confidence. You can target slot fish in ponds and cuts, then shift to bigger bulls near passes and deeper edges depending on tide and wind. It’s a wonderfully adaptable fishery—topwaters early on calm mornings, spinnerbaits and paddletails when the wind kicks up, and live bait if you want to keep it classic. The marsh itself is the star: a maze of grass, oyster, and little drains that look empty until a copper tail flicks above the surface. Why it’s epic: you’re rarely “waiting for the bite”—you’re hunting fish that are already feeding.

Patagonia, Argentina — sea-run brown trout and resident trout

Already missing the autumn although the year has just begun? In northern Argentina, April is the heart of the fall, with higher flows, active trout, and some truly cinematic river fishing—snowy peaks, turquoise runs, and trout that eat like they’ve got something to prove. Depending on the river and regulations, you can find resident browns and rainbows responding to nymph rigs, streamers, and early-season surface opportunities. If sea-run browns are on the menu in your chosen area, the pull is obvious: chrome-bright power in moving water. This is the kind of trip where the setting is as important as the catch—wading a gravel bar while condors circle overhead is the definition of “worth it.” Learn more about fishing in Argentina.

Texas — striped bass

April on Texas‘s Lake Texoma is when the lake earns its reputation as a striper factory. As conditions line up, mature fish surge into the Red River and Washita River arms to spawn, and suddenly the whole system feels alive—bait flipping on the surface, gulls working, and stripers traveling in packs that can turn a slow morning into non-stop chaos. This is classic spring “run” fishing: you’re targeting fish with a mission, which often makes them aggressive and catchable in predictable travel lanes. Anglers do well by staying mobile and fishing the right water—windblown banks, river-channel edges, flats near current, and the mouths of feeder creeks—using live bait, cut bait, jigs, and swimbaits fished slow and deliberate when the water’s still cool. When the run is peaking, it’s hard to beat the raw energy of a big striper crushing a presentation in moving water—and harder still to stop at just one last cast.

Cape Verde — blue marlin

April in Cape Verde is the kind of a calendar highlight that big-game anglers plan entire years around. Multiple sources describe the peak blue marlin season here as running from mid-March through June (often noted as April into early July as well), putting April right in the heart of the best numbers and best chances. The action centers around deep, Atlantic structure and moving water—especially the famed zone near the channel between Santo Antão and São Vicente, long known as a marquee marlin area. On the troll, crews cover water with marlin-ready spreads designed to raise fish, then convert sightings into hookups with disciplined boat work and sharp teamwork. In Mindelo, it’s not just that you might see a blue—it’s that seeing them can feel normal, and the bite can turn suddenly from calm to chaos in a single pass. For anglers chasing that “one fish of a lifetime” feeling, April in Cape Verde is about as real as it gets. Learn more about fishing in Cape Verde.

May

Ireland — wild brown trout

May is when Ireland’s trout season turns electric—because the mayfly hatch becomes the heartbeat of the best fishing on famous loughs like Corrib, Arrow, and Sheelin. When conditions line up, trout feed high in the water and the whole day can revolve around surface activity: dry-fly takes, wet-fly swings, and those sudden, confident rises that make you forget everything else. This is not “bomb it out and hope.” It’s stalking: slow steps, careful casts, fine leaders, and matching the hatch when it matters. When mayflies appear, the whole river seems to lean forward. If you’ve never watched a brown trout sip a floating fly in glassy current, put this on your list.

Bahamas — bonefish

May is prime flats fishing: stable weather windows, warm water, and big bonefish moving confidently across sand and turtle grass. Andros, in particular, is famous for numbers and size—tailing fish in skinny water, schools sliding along edges, and singles that test your nerve. Fly anglers love it, but light tackle can be deadly too. The real addiction is the visual hunting: spotting the fish, planning your approach, and watching it tip down on your offering. Add in permit opportunities (especially on the right tides), and every day feels like it might turn into a story you’ll tell for years.

Costa Rica — roosterfish and inshore mixed bag

Spring into early summer is when Costa Rica’s inshore scene can feel like controlled chaos—in the best way. Roosterfish cruise beaches and rocky points like muscle-bound wolves, and they hit hard when you present live bait, swimbaits, or poppers the right way. You’ll often mix in jack crevalle, snapper, and other bruisers that keep your arms honest. This is a trip built for variety: run-and-gun along the coastline, cast to structure, then slide offshore if conditions allow. It’s also a perfect “bring a friend who doesn’t fish much” destination—because the scenery, wildlife, and vibe are world-class even between hookups. Learn more about roosterfish and fishing in Costa Rica.

Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada — Pacific halibut

May on Vancouver Island is big-water fishing at its most addictive: deep drops, heavy gear, and that slow-building weight on the line that turns into a halibut tug-of-war. Pacific halibut retention commonly runs in spring under DFO-managed openings and conditions, so this is a destination where you plan smart—check the current area rules, then fish hard when you’re there. Out on the banks and offshore structure, crews work drift-and-jig programs with large jigs or bait rigs—think herring, octopus, and other big offerings—staying glued to the bottom where halibut patrol. The bonus is that May in British Columbia often overlaps with excellent Chinook (“king”) salmon opportunity, letting you build a mixed “one day deep, one day fast” itinerary: drop for halibut when conditions are right, then switch to trolling salmon gear along contours and tide lines when you want screaming drags and acrobatic chaos. Set against Vancouver Island’s rugged, evergreen coastline, it’s the kind of spring trip where every bite feels earned—and every fish feels like a trophy. 

Ready to turn spring into a trip?

These twelve ideas are just that – ideas. Fishing in spring offers many more fantastic opportunities to connect with nature and feel the thrill of the catch. Our online marketplace, BaitYourHook.com, makes it easy to find the right area and species, and connect with the trusted captain and guides who know what’s happening right now in their region. 

Next in ‘Fishing Destinations’

Fishing in Spain: What you need to know

Fishing in Spain is a bit like opening a tackle box that never ends. One minute you’re drifting over deep blue water with tuna smashing bait on the surface, the next you’re wrestling a Wels catfish that looks like it swam out of a legend. Add trout streams in the Pyrenees, carp-filled reservoirs, and year-round beach casting, and you get one of Europe’s most versatile fishing destinations.

This guide walks you through what you really need to know about fishing in Spain: licenses and rules, best regions and species, when to go, and whether to book a guide or do it yourself. Think of it as your pre-trip briefing before you click “Book now” on that Spanish fishing adventure. CONTINUE READING