lake yojoa — cortés, comayagua and santa bárbara
Honduras' largest natural lake, set among mountains and coffee farms. It was once a destination for black bass; today fishing is modest and the lake is a Ramsar site.
Lake Yojoa covers 89 km², sits at 632 m altitude and reaches 28 m depth, between the Santa Bárbara and Cerro Azul Meámbar ranges. Black bass were released there in 1954 to build up sport fishing, which later lost strength: the 2004 Ramsar sheet reports a sharp drop in bass, probably because of the tilapia introduced in 1964, and the 2021 sheet lists bass among invasive alien species. Bass remain in the lake and can be targeted from a boat, at points, over rocky bottoms and along shoreline vegetation. Tilapia support artisanal fishing and cage farming. Water from the lake also feeds hydroelectric plants, and the level is managed.
best season
Fishing all year round. From February to May it rains less and the lake tends to be calmer; in the rainy season, the water gets murky near river mouths.
Local rules: The lake basin has been a multiple-use protected area since 1971 and a Ramsar site since 2005. DIGEPESCA, under SAG, regulates fishing on the lake. The SAG sport fishing agreement (Agreement 725-2008) also applies to inland waters and bans longlines, gillnets and harpoons in sport fishing; it sets no bag limit for bass. Respect fish-farming cages and artisanal fishers' nets, and do not release fish from elsewhere into the lake. Confirm local rules.
- getting there
- Highway CA-5, between Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, passes the east shore of the lake. San Pedro Sula's international airport is about 1.5 hours away by car.
- facilities
- Hotels and inns along the shore and in Peña Blanca, roadside restaurants serving fried fish, and rental boats with local boatmen.
- country
- Cortés, Honduras
tip
Start early at the points and along the shoreline vegetation, before the wind picks up. In murky water, noisy, bright lures help the bass find the lure.
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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 Honduras
DIGEPESCA, of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Livestock (SAG), is the authority for sport fishing and regulates tournaments together with fishing associations. The consulted rules don't detail an individual license for tourists: confirm with DIGEPESCA and your operator before fishing. In the Bay Islands, the rules of the Marine National Park also apply.
- Billfish (families Xiphiidae and Istiophoridae) are reserved for sport fishing, and their commercial fishing is prohibited; catch and release with circle hooks (SAG agreement published in La Gaceta on January 26, 2009).
- Under the same agreement, marlin, sailfish, bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and all sharks are catch and release only; other species have minimum sizes and a daily limit outside tournaments (for example, mahi-mahi: 3 per day).
- In sport fishing, longlines, gillnets and spears are prohibited. In tournaments, every fish must be released alive.
- Bay Islands Marine National Park (Decree 75-2010): there are restricted zones with no human intervention and zones with restricted fishing; within the surrounding 12-mile belt, industrial fishing is prohibited.
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 Ramsar Sites Information Service — Cuenca del Lago de Yojoa (sítio 1467)Designated June 5, 2005; 44,253.9 ha; Multiple-Use Protected Area; threats include exotic species
- official Ficha Informativa Ramsar do Lago de Yojoa, atualização de 2021Lake of 89 km², 632 m altitude, 28.29 m maximum depth; Micropterus salmoides among invasive alien species
- official Ficha Informativa Ramsar do Lago de Yojoa, maio de 2004Bass introduced in 1954; decline probably linked to the 1964 tilapia; sport fishing for bass in sharp decline; protected area under Decree 71 of 1971; DIGEPESCA regulates fishing
- official SAG — Acuerdo 725-2008 sobre pesca deportiva (La Gaceta, 26 de enero de 2009)Copy of the Official Gazette on FAOLEX; applies to inland and marine waters; catch and release of billfish, bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook and sharks; longlines, gillnets and harpoons prohibited; bag limits