bahía solano — chocó pacific
Blue water close to shore, jungle down to the beach and billfish. Offshore fishing in a zone reserved for artisanal fishing.
Bahía Solano lies on the northern Colombian Pacific, in Chocó, where the jungle reaches down to the sea and the continental shelf is narrow. Deep water comes close to shore, so trips to the blue are short. Sailfish, marlin, yellowfin tuna, mahi-mahi and wahoo are trolling targets; near the rocks, cubera snapper and roosterfish offer casting and jigging. In 2019 the town hosted the country's first international sport fishing tournament, with a rule to release billfish. Utría National Natural Park lies to the south. Trips run by launch, with local fishermen and guides.
best season
There is fishing year-round on the Chocó Pacific; the presence of billfish and tuna changes with the currents. Confirm the season with the operator.
Local rules: Sport fishing was declared unconstitutional (Ruling C-148/2022). Law 2.501/2025 created "tourism fishing", with a permit from AUNAP, but the regulations had not yet been issued as of January 2026: confirm with AUNAP and your operator before you travel. Bahía Solano lies within the Exclusive Artisanal Fishing Zone (ZEPA) of northern Chocó. In Utría National Natural Park, fishing is banned except for authorized exceptions (Decree 1076/2015). Release billfish. Confirm the local rules.
- getting there
- Flights from Medellín and Quibdó to Bahía Solano airport. There is no road connecting the town to the interior.
- facilities
- Inns and small hotels in town and at El Valle beach, fishing launches and local guides.
- country
- Chocó, Colombia
tip
Bring trolling lures and jigs: the same trip can produce billfish offshore and cubera on the rocks. Gear is hard to find in the region.
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Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
what you can catch here
before you fish in Colombia
The Constitutional Court declared sport fishing unconstitutional (Ruling C-148/2022), effective July 2023; AUNAP sport fishing licenses expired on July 22, 2023. Law 2,501/2025 created "tourism fishing": whoever practices it as an economic activity (people, communities and operators) needs an AUNAP permit. Zones, species and seasons depend on a government decree; in January 2026 the Ministry of Commerce and Tourism reported that these decrees had not yet been issued. Before traveling, confirm with AUNAP and with your operator whether the activity is already regulated.
- Orinoquía closed season (Arauca, Casanare, Meta, Vichada, Guainía and Guaviare): from the first Monday after Holy Week to May 31. Fish for consumption may only be sold in the same municipality, and ornamental fish may not be caught (AUNAP Resolution 2663/2022).
- Bita River (Vichada, Ramsar site): gillnets, chinchorro and cast nets prohibited; recreational fishing of pavón real (Cichla intermedia), blue arowana (Osteoglossum ferreirai) and piraíba (valentón) prohibited (AUNAP Resolution 2877/2022).
- In national natural parks, fishing is prohibited, except for authorized scientific fishing and cases the Ministry of Environment allows in defined zones (Decree 1076/2015, art. 2.2.2.1.15.1).
- Tourism fishing may not take place in zones excluded by the authority, and it is prohibited to release exotic species or to move native fish from one basin to another (Law 2,501/2025).
The rules and closed seasons in the rest of the app are Brazilian. Outside Brazil, the regulations of the country and province apply: confirm with the official agency.
sources and references
Access, facilities and season information changes: check with the lodge, a local guide or the city hall before you travel.
- official AUNAP — Resolución 0236 de 2022 (medida para el aprovechamiento pesquero en el Pacífico colombiano)Bahía Solano within the Exclusive Artisanal Fishing Zone (ZEPA)
- official Función Pública — Decreto 1076 de 2015, art. 2.2.2.1.15.1 (prohibiciones en los Parques Nacionales Naturales)
- official Función Pública — Ley 2501 de 2025 (pesca de turismo)
- press Agronegocios (Colprensa) — El primer torneo internacional de pesca deportiva en Colombia será en Bahía Solano (2019)Species, ZEPA and release of billfish