20 Jun 2026
Gulf Coast Thailand: Monsoon Bite Guide – Trevally, Barra, and Reef Action
This is Artificial Lure with your Thailand Gulf Coast fishing report.
Let’s talk conditions first. Along the upper Gulf from Chonburi down past Rayong, on through Prachuap Khiri Khan to Chumphon, we’ve had classic southwest monsoon weather: light to moderate southwest winds in the morning, stiffening in the afternoon, with passing showers and a bit of chop on open water. Nearshore seas have been running around one meter, a little higher on exposed points. Air temps are steamy, sitting in the low 30s Celsius midday, with humidity cranked up.
Sunrise along the Gulf coast came in just after 5:45 a.m., with sunset around 6:45 p.m., so your prime bite windows have been that first light 6–8 a.m. run and the last couple of hours of light before dark. Cloud cover has helped stretch the morning bite a bit later than usual.
Tides have been running a medium range on the Gulf side: a decent incoming push through late morning, topping out around midday, then easing into a gentle outgoing through the afternoon. That late‑morning flood has been key on the reef edges and rock lines, especially around headlands and pier structures.
Now to the fun part: the fish.
In the upper Gulf around Sattahip, Rayong, and down toward Koh Samet, inshore anglers have been finding solid action on **barramundi**, **snappers**, and **groupers** tucked tight to structure. Night sessions around piers and rock walls are giving up small schools of squid and some respectable **barracuda** cruising the light lines.
Farther south, around Hua Hin, Pranburi, and down toward Bang Saphan and Chumphon, boats working nearshore reefs and small islands have reported mixed bags of **golden trevally**, **queenfish**, **longtail tuna**, **Spanish mackerel**, and reef dwellers like **red snapper** and **grouper**. Numbers haven’t been crazy, but a steady pick: a handful of trevally and macks per boat on a good morning, plus by‑catch of smaller reef fish.
For lures, this week has favored anything that moves fast and flashes. Casting metals in the 20–40 gram range, small stickbaits, and sinking minnows worked high in the water column have been producing trevally and macks around current breaks and bait schools. In dirtier inshore water, paddle‑tail soft plastics in natural baitfish colors, slow‑rolled along the bottom, have been deadly on barra and snapper.
If you’re a bait angler, keep it simple: small live baitfish, live shrimp, and fresh squid strips have outfished everything else. Rig lightly, use small but strong hooks, and let that tide do the work. On the reefs, a simple bottom rig with squid has been enough to put a few good table‑size fish in the cooler.
A couple of hot spots to circle:
– The reef and island complexes off **Chumphon** and **Bang Saphan**. Work the up‑current sides at first light with metals and stickbaits for trevally and mackerel, then switch to bait rigs once the sun climbs.
– The rocky headlands and pier zones around **Rayong and Sattahip**. Early morning and after dark, slow‑rolled soft plastics and live shrimp around the pylons have been turning up barra, snapper, and the odd grouper, with squid showing under the lights.
With the warm water and steady monsoon pattern, expect the bite to stay best on those early and late windows, especially around the stronger parts of the tide. Keep an eye on building afternoon storms, pick your weather windows, and you’ll find fish.
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