SpeciesKnotsGuides

Fish of Mexico

Two oceans, the Sea of Cortez, the Yucatán peninsula and celebrated inland reservoirs: Mexico offers one of the widest ranges of fishing on the American continent.

116 species documented

The Sea of Cortez, between Baja California and the mainland, is a case apart. Its narrow, deep configuration and strong currents make it one of the most productive seas on the planet, with a concentration of open-water species reachable from the coast.

At the other end, the Caribbean side of the Yucatán unrolls reefs, lagoons and mangroves in clear warm water. It is another world entirely, where fishing is done on sight over ground a few tens of centimetres deep.

The interior holds vast reservoirs that built an international reputation around a handful of introduced species. The season there is governed by rainfall and temperature: the hottest months compress activity into dawn and dusk.

Saltwater91

Freshwater25

Species list

NameScientific nameIn SpanishMax sizeBest months
African pompanoAlectis ciliarisPámpano africano150 cmYear-round
AlbacoreThunnus alalungaAtún blanco140 cmMar–Sep
Alligator garAtractosteus spatulaPejelagarto caimán260 cmMar–Nov
Almaco jackSeriola rivolianaMedregal limón160 cmMar–Aug
Amur carpCyprinus rubrofuscusCarpa del Amur28 cmMar–Nov
Atlantic bluefin tunaThunnus thynnusAtún rojo del Atlántico458 cmMay–Nov
Atlantic bonitoSarda sardaBonito del Atlántico91.4 cmMar–Nov
Atlantic goliath grouperEpinephelus itajaraMero guasa250 cmJun–Nov
Atlantic spadefishChaetodipterus faberPaguara90 cmMay–Sep
Atlantic tripletailLobotes surinamensisDormilona110 cmMay–Sep
Bigeye scadSelar crumenophthalmusChicharro ojón70 cmYear-round
Bigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusJurel ojón120 cmMar–Aug
Bigeye tunaThunnus obesusPatudo250 cmSep–Feb
Black grouperMycteroperca bonaciMero negrillo150 cmMar–Nov
Black jackCaranx lugubrisJurel negro100 cmMar–Nov
Black marlinIstiompax indicaMarlín negro465 cmSep–Nov
Black snapperApsilus dentatusPargo negro65 cmMar–Nov
Blackfin tunaThunnus atlanticusAtún aleta negra108 cmMar–Sep
Blacktip sharkCarcharhinus limbatusTiburón macuira286 cmMar–Aug
Blue catfishIctalurus furcatusBagre azul165 cmMar–Nov
Blue marlinMakaira nigricansAguja azul500 cmMar–Nov
Blue sharkPrionace glaucaTiburón azul400 cmJun–Nov
Blue tilapiaOreochromis aureusTilapia azul46 cmYear-round
Bluefin trevallyCaranx melampygusJurel azul117 cmYear-round
BluefishPomatomus saltatrixAnjova130 cmMar–Nov
BluegillLepomis macrochirusPez sol azul41 cmMar–Nov
BonefishAlbula vulpesMacabí104 cmMar–Nov
Brook troutSalvelinus fontinalisSalvelino de fontana60 cmMar–Nov
Bull sharkCarcharhinus leucasTiburón toro360 cmMar–Nov
California HalibutParalichthys californicusLenguado de California152 cmMar–Oct
Cero mackerelScomberomorus regalisCarite chinigua183 cmDec–Feb
Channel catfishIctalurus punctatusBagre de canal132 cmMar–Nov
Chub mackerelScomber japonicusEstornino del Pacífico64 cmMar–Nov
CobiaRachycentron canadumCobia200 cmMar–Nov
Common carpCyprinus carpioCarpa común129 cmJul–Sep
Common dolphinfishCoryphaena hippurusLampuga210 cmMar–Nov
Common snookCentropomus undecimalisRóbalo común140 cmMay–Sep
Coney grouperCephalopholis fulvaGuativere44 cmMar–Nov
Crevalle jackCaranx hipposJurel común124 cmMar–Aug
Cubera snapperLutjanus cyanopterusPargo cubera160 cmMar–Nov
Dog snapperLutjanus jocuPargo jocú128 cmMar–Nov
Dusky sharkCarcharhinus obscurusTiburón arenero420 cmMar–Nov
Eastern Pacific bonitoSarda chiliensisBonito del Pacífico oriental102 cmMar–Nov
European barracudaSphyraena sphyraenaEspetón165 cmMar–Nov
Flathead catfishPylodictis olivarisBagre de cabeza plana155 cmMar–Nov
Flathead grey mulletMugil cephalusMújol100 cmMar–Nov
Freshwater drumAplodinotus grunniensTambor de agua dulce95 cmMar–Sep
Golden trevallyGnathanodon speciosusJurel dorado120 cmYear-round
GoldfishCarassius auratusCarpín dorado48 cmApr–Oct
Grass carpCtenopharyngodon idellaCarpa herbívora150 cmMar–Nov
GraysbyCephalopholis cruentataEnjambre42.6 cmMar–Nov
Great barracudaSphyraena barracudaBarracuda200 cmYear-round
Great white sharkCarcharodon carchariasTiburón blanco640 cmJun–Nov
Green sunfishLepomis cyanellusPez sol verde31 cmMar–Nov
Grey snapperLutjanus griseusPargo prieto89 cmMar–Nov
Indo-Pacific sailfishIstiophorus platypterusPez vela del Indo-Pacífico348 cmYear-round
Island trevallyCarangoides orthogrammusJurel de islas75 cmYear-round
KawakawaEuthynnus affinisBacoreta oriental100 cmMar–Nov
Kelp bassParalabrax clathratusCabrilla de sargazo72 cmMay–Sep
LadyfishElops saurusMacabí chiro100 cmMar–May, Sep–Nov
Lane snapperLutjanus synagrisPargo biajaiba60 cmMar–Aug
Largemouth bassMicropterus salmoidesPerca americana97 cmJul–Sep
LeatherjacketOligoplites saurusZapatero35 cmMar–Aug
Little tunnyEuthynnus alletteratusBacoreta122 cmYear-round
Longnose garLepisosteus osseusPejelagarto narigudo200 cmMar–Nov
LookdownSelene vomerJorobado de penacho48.3 cmMar–Nov
Mackerel scadDecapterus macarellusMacarela caballa46 cmYear-round
Mexican golden troutOncorhynchus chrysogasterTrucha dorada mexicana12.7 cm
MilkfishChanos chanosSabalote180 cmYear-round
Mirror carpCyprinus carpio (forme miroir)Carpa de espejo129 cmYear-round
Mozambique tilapiaOreochromis mossambicusTilapia del Mozambique39 cmYear-round
Mutton snapperLutjanus analisPargo criollo94 cmMar–Nov
Nassau grouperEpinephelus striatusMero de Nassau122 cmDec–Feb
Nile tilapiaOreochromis niloticusTilapia del Nilo60 cmYear-round
OilfishRuvettus pretiosusEscolar300 cmJun–Nov
Orangemouth corvinaCynoscion xanthulusCorvina boca naranja129 cmMar–Nov
Pacific barracudaSphyraena argenteaBarracuda del Pacífico145 cmMar–Nov
Pacific bluefin tunaThunnus orientalisAtún rojo del Pacífico300 cmApr–Sep
Pacific sierraScomberomorus sierraSierra del Pacífico99 cmOct–Mar
PermitTrachinotus falcatusPámpano palometa122 cmMar–Nov
PilotfishNaucrates ductorPez piloto70 cmJun–Nov
Pompano dolphinfishCoryphaena equiselisLampuga rabicorta146 cmMar–Aug
Rainbow parrotfishScarus guacamaiaPez loro guacamayo120 cmYear-round
Rainbow runnerElagatis bipinnulataMacarela salmón180 cmMar–Aug
Rainbow troutOncorhynchus mykissTrucha arcoíris123 cmMar–Nov
Red hindEpinephelus guttatusMero cabrilla76 cmMar–Nov
Redbelly tilapiaCoptodon zilliiTilapia de vientre rojo40 cmYear-round
Redbreast tilapiaCoptodon rendalliTilapia de pecho rojo45 cmYear-round
Redtail catfishPhractocephalus hemioliopterusBagre de cola roja135 cmJun–Jan
RoosterfishNematistius pectoralisPez gallo163 cmMay–Nov
Scalloped hammerheadSphyrna lewiniCornuda común430 cmJun–Nov
SheepsheadArchosargus probatocephalusSargo chopa91 cmDec–May
Shortbill spearfishTetrapturus angustirostrisMarlín trompa corta230 cmMar–Aug
Shortfin makoIsurus oxyrinchusMarrajo dientuso445 cmMar–Nov
Silky sharkCarcharhinus falciformisTiburón jaquetón350 cmJun–Nov
Skipjack tunaKatsuwonus pelamisListado110 cmMar–Nov
Smallmouth bassMicropterus dolomieuLobina de boca pequeña69 cmApr–Oct
Smooth hammerheadSphyrna zygaenaCornuda cruz500 cmMar–Nov
Southern flounderParalichthys lethostigmaLenguado del sur83 cmMar–Oct
Spotted Sand BassParalabrax maculatofasciatusCabrilla de arena67 cmMar–Oct
Spotted seatroutCynoscion nebulosusCorvinata pintada100 cmYear-round
Stoplight parrotfishSparisoma virideLoro viejo64 cmYear-round
Striped bassMorone saxatilisLubina rayada200 cmMar–Nov
Striped bonitoSarda orientalisBonito mono102 cmMar–May, Sep–Nov
Striped marlinKajikia audaxMarlín rayado420 cmMar–Nov
SwordfishXiphias gladiusPez espada455 cmMar–Nov
TarponMegalops atlanticusSábalo250 cmMar–Nov
Tiger sharkGaleocerdo cuvierTiburón tigre750 cmJun–Nov
Tope sharkGaleorhinus galeusCazón193 cmMar–Nov
WahooAcanthocybium solandriPeto250 cmMar–Aug
White crappiePomoxis annularisCrappie blanco53 cmMar–Nov
White mulletMugil curemaLebrancho91 cmYear-round
White seabassAtractoscion nobilisCorvina blanca166 cmMar–Nov
Yellowfin tunaThunnus albacaresRabil239 cmJun–Aug
Yellowtail amberjackSeriola lalandiMedregal rabo amarillo250 cmMar–Aug
Yellowtail snapperOcyurus chrysurusRabirrubia86 cmMar–Nov