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catalog Sciaenidae · predator

striped corvina

Cynoscion reticulatus

EstuarySea

Large, slender croaker of the eastern tropical Pacific, from southern Baja California to Colombia, with wavy streaks on the back. Lives in coastal waters and estuaries, and takes live fish and midwater baits.

Also called: corvina-listrada, striped corvina, striped weakfish

forecast for striped corvina where found
Scientific illustration of Striped corvina
common size
35–60 cm
maximum
90 cm
common weight
0.3–1.6 kg
record/max.
30.0 kg
depth
10–60 m
ideal water
22–29 °C
overview

who is the striped corvina

One of the largest croakers in the eastern tropical Pacific, from southern Baja California and the Gulf of California to Colombia. Lives in shallow coastal waters, estuaries and on the shelf, from 1 to 107 m according to STRI (FishBase gives 10 to 60 m), on sand and mud bottoms. Adults occupy areas of high salinity and eat fish, shrimp and other crustaceans. It reaches 90 cm. It has a small commercial fishery and is recognized as a sport fish: caught at river mouths, beaches and lagoons, from an anchored or drifting boat, with live fish, shrimp and midwater jigs.

fun facts

  • In Panama it is called herrero; in Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama, corvina rayada.
  • FishBase records a published maximum weight of 30 kg, a value that does not fit the length (the length-weight relationship gives about 5 kg at 90 cm).
how to recognize it

identification

Elongated, deep, compressed body, silvery, with brownish wavy streaks on the back and flanks, lighter along the lateral line. Very oblique mouth, with the lower jaw strongly projecting and a pair of large canines at the tip of the upper jaw; no barbel. Body and head scales are rough, the tail is straight (pointed in juveniles), and the dorsal has 25 to 29 soft rays (20 to 22 in the corvina picuda). Yellowish fins, with a dark dorsal edge and a dark pectoral axil.

how striped corvina fishing looks

Loading the next 7 days…

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.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

Does not occur in Brazil. Eastern Pacific, from southern Baja California and the Gulf of California, in Mexico, to Colombia, through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. FishBase stops at Panama and says it probably reaches northern Colombia; STRI records Colombia.

Habitat: Shallow coastal waters with sand and mud bottoms, estuaries, lagoons and river mouths; adults also on the shelf.

calendar and clock

when to fish

best season

time of yearbest: Nov–Apr
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Fished all year in tropical areas; no documented season. Moon tides and the incoming tide at a river mouth with clear water concentrate the fish.

best time of day

0h6h12h18h sunrise ~6amsunset ~6pm

Dawn and dusk. Most active at dawn, at dusk and at night, when it enters river mouths and channels to hunt. By day it tends to stay deeper, in pools and along channel edges.

weather, water and behavior

what affects the striped corvina
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.

cold and cold fronts

Cold upwelling shuts down activity in the shallows.

atmospheric pressure

A front with the sea turning hinders fishing at bar mouths and beaches.

moon

Full and new moon tides move the channels and activate the schools.

rain

Heavy rain muddies the estuary; afterward, murkier water helps with natural bait.

water level

Does not apply at sea. In the estuary, the incoming tide brings the fish in.

noise

Approach river mouths and shallow channels quietly.

wind

Strong wind raises the surf and hinders fishing from an anchored boat.

tide

A moving tide is best, especially the incoming tide in channels and river mouths.

depth

From the bottom of shallow channels, at about 30 m; found deeper on the shelf.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Beach fishingNatural bait with floatMid-water castingBottom fishing from a boat
rod
7' to 9', 12 to 25 lb
spinning / baitcasting reel
spinning reel 4000 to 5000 or low-profile baitcasting reel
line
braided line 20 to 40 lb
leader
fluorocarbon 30 to 50 lb, 1 m (the canines wear thin leader)
hook
circle 3/0 to 5/0 on live bait; small treble hook on artificial lures

lures

  • jig head 1/2 to 1 oz with 10 to 15 cm shad
  • swimbait
  • mid-water jerkbait
  • metal spoon

natural baits

  • small live fish (sardine, mullet)
  • large shrimp
  • squid strips

accessories

  • sliding sinker, 40 to 120 g
  • long-nose pliers
  • boga

tip from an angler

Stay at the mouth of the channel on the incoming tide and let the live bait drift along the bottom: the big ones wait for the fish to come out of the current.

what the law says

rules for the striped corvina

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

Mexico: up to 5 per species and 10 saltwater fish per day

5 specimens of the species per angler per day, within the limit of 10 saltwater fish

In federal waters of Mexico, recreational sport fishing allows each angler to keep up to 10 marine fish per day, no more than 5 of the same species. The striped corvina (corvina rayada) is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlins, sailfish, swordfish, tarpon (sábalo), roosterfish and dorado, up to 50 nautical miles from shore, item 0.3 of the standard) and has no quota of its own. Fish over the quota must go back alive, and sport-caught fish may not be sold. From shore you need no permit; from a boat, you do (permits under the Federal Duties Law, item 4.3).

Source: Amendment to NOM-017-PESC-1994 (recreational sport fishing in federal waters of Mexico), published in the DOF on Nov 25, 2013, items 0.3, 4.3, 4.9.1, 4.9.5 and 4.11 (Sagarpa/Conapesca)

catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.

Hold it by the jaw with a boga or pliers, watching the canines, and release it quickly. Large fish: support the belly and keep the body in the water while you remove the hook.

in the kitchen

White, soft flesh; good fried, baked whole, grilled as fillets over coals or in ceviche.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00759, b = 2.99; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

estimated weight

—

sources and references

The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.

  1. scientific FishBase: Cynoscion reticulatus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight relationship, depth, habitat, distribution, biology and IUCN status. Page checked Oct 13, 2026. The published maximum weight of 30 kg is not compatible with the maximum length of 90 cm (the length-weight relationship predicts about 5 kg); we kept FishBase's value, with no confirmation from another source.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Cynoscion reticulatusNames by country and language.
  3. scientific Robertson, D. R. & Allen, G. R. (2024). Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Cynoscion reticulatusDescription, colors, size (up to 90 cm), depth (1 to 107 m) and distribution (southern Baja California and the Gulf of California to Colombia). It was the basis for including Colombia among the countries, which FishBase admits only as probable. Page checked Oct 13, 2026.
  4. scientific Chao, L. N. (1995). Sciaenidae. Corvinas, barbiches, bombaches, corvinatas, corvinetas, corvinillas, lambes, pescadillas, roncachos, verrugatos. In: Fischer, W. et al. (eds.). Guía FAO para la identificación de especies para los fines de la pesca. Pacífico centro-oriental. Vol. 3, p. 1427-1518. Roma: FAO.Main FishBase reference for feeding, habitat and description.
  5. official DOF: Modificação da NOM-017-PESC-1994, para regular a pesca deportivo-recreativa em águas de jurisdição federal do México (publicada em 25/11/2013)Species reserved for sport fishing (item 0.3), permits (4.3 and 4.14), rod and hooks (4.6), bait (4.7), daily quotas at sea (4.9.1) and in fresh water (4.9.2), catch and release (4.9.5), closed areas and seasons (4.10) and the ban on selling the fish (4.11). Text checked Oct 13, 2026. The text carries the signature date of Oct 14, 2013; the DOF publication date (Nov 25, 2013) is the one the catalog already uses.
don't confuse

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