isla mujeres — mexican caribbean
Island across from Cancún, a classic base for sailfish fishing in the Mexican Caribbean. Sailboat races in winter and spring.
Isla Mujeres is a few kilometers from Cancún, at the entrance of the Yucatán Channel, where the strong Caribbean current passes close to shore. In late winter and spring, large bait patches attract sailfish in numbers, and boats work with live bait and trolling, often with several fish in a day. Blue and white marlin, dorado, wahoo, tuna and barracuda complete the list. The fleet leaves from the island's marinas and from Cancún, on offshore fishing boats and smaller launches. It is open-ocean fishing, outside the protected reefs of the coast.
best season
Sailfish concentrate in late winter and spring, from January to May, behind bait patches north of the island. Marlin and dorado come more in spring and early summer.
Local rules: Conapesca sport-recreational fishing permit required for each angler on board. Under NOM-017-PESC-1994, sailfish, marlin and dorado are reserved for sport fishing within 50 miles. The waters are part of the Mexican Caribbean Biosphere Reserve, whose management program (DOF of Nov 30, 2018) allows sport fishing only as catch and release: every fish hooked, from marlin and sailfish to dorado or any other species, goes back alive to the water, and this fishing may not be done over shallow reefs. Along the island's west coast is the Parque Nacional Costa Occidental de Isla Mujeres, Punta Cancún y Punta Nizuc, with its own rules. Confirm the local rules.
- getting there
- Cancún International Airport and then a ferry from Cancún (Puerto Juárez or the hotel zone) to the island, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- facilities
- Marinas, rental offshore fishing boats, hotels and inns on the island, and all of Cancún's infrastructure across the bay.
- country
- Quintana Roo, Mexico
tip
For sailfish, use a circle hook on live bait and let the fish run before setting the hook. Take photos in the water and release 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)Administrative Rules: Rule 3, section XXI, and Rule 69 (in the reserve, sport and recreational fishing only as catch and release, with every specimen returned, and never over shallow reefs)
- 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
- official Conapesca — Permiso de pesca 2025 en México: guía fácil de requisitos y documentosSport and recreational permit through the e5cinco system; 2025 prices