cozumel — cozumel channel and northern lagoons
Island across from Playa del Carmen. Trolling in the Cozumel Channel for sailfish and marlin, and northern lagoons for bonefish and permit.
Cozumel lies across from Playa del Carmen, and the channel between the island and the mainland is deep, with strong current, a few minutes from the marinas. There and in the open sea to the north and east, boats troll for sailfish, blue and white marlin, mahi-mahi, wahoo, tuna and barracuda. On the north side of the island, the Ciega, Montecristo, Balen and Río de la Plata lagoons and the Isla de la Pasión lagoon are shallow and ringed with mangroves: local guides take visitors there for bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and barracuda, always catch and release. The reefs to the southwest form the Parque Nacional Arrecifes de Cozumel, one of the best-known dive sites in the Caribbean.
best season
Offshore fishing all year; from February to June is when sailfish, marlin and mahi-mahi are most sought after. In the northern lagoons, fishing continues all year, with cold fronts in winter and hurricane risk from August to October.
Local rules: Conapesca recreational sport fishing permit for each boat angler. Under NOM-017-PESC-1994, billfish and mahi-mahi are reserved for sport fishing, with a limit of 1 billfish and 2 mahi-mahi per angler per day. The open sea around the island is part of the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve, whose management program (DOF of November 30, 2018) allows sport fishing only as catch and release in the sustainable-use subzones. To the north, the APFF Isla Cozumel (DOF of October 29, 2015) bans fishing in the microatoll subzone. Confirm local rules.
- getting there
- Cozumel International Airport, with flights from Mexico and the United States, and a ferry from Playa del Carmen to San Miguel, under an hour. Cancún is about an hour's drive from Playa del Carmen.
- facilities
- Marinas in San Miguel and the south of the island, an offshore fishing fleet, guides for the northern lagoons, and hotels at every level.
- country
- Quintana Roo, Mexico
tip
For sailfish, use live bait on a circle hook: let the fish run before you set the hook. Take photos with the fish in the water and release it quickly.
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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 Mexico
Anyone fishing from a boat needs an individual recreational-sport fishing permit (permiso de pesca deportivo-recreativa), issued by Conapesca and obtained online through the e5cinco system, with fees paid per day, week, month, year or excursion. 2025 values reported by Conapesca: 1 day, MXN 204; 1 week, MXN 510; 1 month, MXN 766; 1 year, MXN 1,021; excursion, MXN 1,453 (adjusted every year). Fishing from land does not require a permit; spearfishing requires an individual permit (NOM-017-PESC-1994, amended in 2013).
- Marlin, sailfish, swordfish, sábalo/chiro, roosterfish and mahi-mahi (dorado de mar) are reserved for sport fishing within 50 nautical miles of the coastal baseline.
- Sea catch limit: up to 10 fish per angler per day, with a maximum of 5 of the same species. Billfish (marlins, sailfish and swordfish), sharks and giant sea bass (Stereolepis gigas): 1 per day. Sábalo, mahi-mahi, roosterfish and baya: 2 per day. In freshwater, 5 per day. Fish caught beyond the limit are released alive back to the sea.
- Fishing within 250 m of beaches with bathers and of commercial fishing boats or nets is prohibited. Sport-caught fish may not be sold, and billfish may not be filleted on board.
- In natural protected areas, sport fishing is only allowed under the terms of the decree and each area's management program (Conanp); many have closed zones and stretches for catch and release only.
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 DOF — Decreto que declara a Reserva da Biosfera Caribe Mexicano (07/12/2016)Mentions open-sea trolling off Cancún, Isla Mujeres and Cozumel (blue and white marlin, sailfish, mahi-mahi, wahoo, sierra, tuna, barracuda)
- official DOF — Resumen del Programa de Manejo de la Reserva de la Biosfera Caribe Mexicano (30/11/2018, continuação)Sustainable-use subzones: recreational sport fishing as catch and release
- official DOF — Resumen del Programa de Manejo del APFF porción norte y franja costera oriental de la Isla de Cozumel (29/10/2015)Northern lagoons with catch-and-release sport fishing (barracuda, bonefish, permit, snook, tarpon); fishing not allowed in the Microatolones subzone
- official DOF — Modificación a la NOM-017-PESC-1994 (pesca deportivo-recreativa), publicada em 25/11/2013Species reserved within the 50-mile zone, bag limits (item 4.9) and permits