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catalog Lutjanidae · predator

yellow snapper

Lutjanus argentiventris

SeaEstuary

The pink and yellow snapper of the rocky shores and mangroves of the Pacific, from Mexico to Peru. It fights hard toward the rocks and strikes jigs, mid-water lures and live bait.

Also called: pargo-amarelo-do-pacífico, pargo-amarelo, yellow snapper

forecast for yellow snapper where found
Scientific illustration of Yellow snapper
common size
30–50 cm
maximum
71 cm
common weight
0.4–1.6 kg
record/max.
13.0 kg
depth
1–60 m
ideal water
22–29 °C
overview

who is the yellow snapper

Eastern Pacific snapper, from southern California (rare north of Baja California) to Peru, including the Cocos and Galápagos islands. It lives on reefs and hard-bottom rocky shores down to about 60 m and tolerates fresh water: juveniles stay in mangroves and estuaries, hence the name pargo de manglar in Mexico. By day it forms groups near the rocks and hides alone in burrows; it eats fish, shrimp, crabs and mollusks. It is one of the most common snappers in rocky-shore and boat fishing from Mexico to Central America, caught with jigs, mid-water lures, shallow poppers and live bait. On the first run it tries to get into the rock, and the angler must hold firm.

fun facts

  • Juveniles move up estuaries and mangroves; in Mexico it is also called pargo de manglar.
  • The mouth is white inside, a detail that helps tell it apart from other yellowish snappers.
how to recognize it

identification

Pinkish-red on the front of the body and bright orange-yellow over most of it; yellow or orange fins, a bluish stripe under the eye and a white mouth inside. The rows of scales on the back run parallel to the lateral line. The pargo colorado is almost entirely red; the Pacific dentón is copper-colored; the pargo lunarejo has a large black spot high on the back.

how yellow snapper 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

Not found in Brazil. Eastern Pacific, from southern California (rare north of Baja California) to Peru, including the Gulf of California and the Cocos (Costa Rica) and Galápagos (Ecuador) islands.

Habitat: Reefs and hard-bottom rocky shores down to about 60 m; juveniles in mangroves, estuaries and river mouths.

calendar and clock

when to fish

best season

time of yearbest: Mar–Oct
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Fished all year. Current and clean water over the rocks matter more than the month.

best time of day

0h6h12h18h sunrise ~6amsunset ~6pm

Dawn and dusk. Feeds most at dawn, dusk and early night; by day it stays in groups near the rocks and responds to live bait and jigs.

weather, water and behavior

what affects the yellow snapper
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.

atmospheric pressure

A front with a turning sea hinders rock fishing.

moon

Strong moons move more water; moonlit nights tend to be good.

rain

Heavy rain muddies estuaries and mangroves and scatters the juveniles.

water level

Does not apply at sea. In the estuary, the rising tide takes fish into the mangrove.

noise

Anchor and hull knocking on the rock spook fish; anchor upstream of the current.

wind

Strong wind makes it hard to hold the boat over the rock and cast along the rocky shore.

tide

Moderate current is best; slack tide tends to be weak.

depth

From 3 to 30 m on rocky shores and rocks; juveniles in shallow mangrove areas.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Mid-water castingRocky shoreJiggingNatural bait on the bottomBottom fishing from a boat
rod
6'6" to 7', 20 to 40 lb; for rocky shores, 9' to 10'
spinning / baitcasting reel
spinning reel 4000 to 6000 or baitcasting reel 300
line
braid 30 to 50 lb
leader
fluorocarbon 40 to 60 lb, 1.5 m
hook
circle 2/0 to 5/0

lures

  • metal jig 30 to 80 g
  • jig head 1/2 to 1 oz with shad
  • poppers and stickbaits in shallow water
  • mid-water crankbait

natural baits

  • live sardine or sardine fillet
  • shrimp
  • lula

accessories

  • sinker 30 to 100 g
  • descender (fish descender)
  • alicate

tip from an angler

On feeling the bite, lock the drag and pull the fish off the bottom in the first few meters: given room, it will dive into its burrow and cut the line.

what the law says

rules for the yellow snapper

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Old global assessment; the species supports artisanal fishing across its entire range.

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 recreational sport fishing in Mexican federal waters, each angler may keep up to 10 saltwater fish per day, no more than 5 of the same species. The yellow snapper (pargo amarillo) is not among the species reserved for sport fishing under art. 68 of the General Law of Sustainable Fishing and Aquaculture, and has no quota of its own. Fish over the limit must be returned alive to the water, and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Anglers fishing from a boat need a Conapesca permit.

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

Costa Rica: minimum size of 33 cm

33 cm (total length)confirm with the agency

Incopesca set, in AJDIP/026-2018 (which repealed AJDIP/102-2017), a legal first-catch size of 32 cm total length for the yellow snapper (pargo coliamarilla) during the first two years (until February 2020). After that, art. 7, b requires applying the first-maturity size of 33 cm, which is the minimum to respect today. The rule covers all fishing activity, prohibits selling and transporting fish below the size, and allows a 10% tolerance in number and weight, only from catch to landing. We found no later agreement that changes this; check with Incopesca.

Source: Acuerdo AJDIP/026-2018 of the Incopesca Board of Directors (Jan 12, 2018; La Gaceta nº 22, of Feb 6, 2018), art. 1 and art. 7, b; art. 8 repeals AJDIP/102-2017

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.

Deep-rock fish can float up with an inflated swim bladder: use a descender to return it to depth. Do not puncture the bladder.

in the kitchen

White, tasty flesh; fried whole, roasted or in ceviche.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01479, b = 2.96; FishBase). 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 — Lutjanus argentiventris (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship, list of countries and references. Page checked 13/10/2026. The maximum weight (13 kg) comes from the IGFA record database cited by FishBase.
  2. scientific IUCN Red List — Lutjanus argentiventris (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 23/05/2007)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
  3. scientific Allen, G. R. (1985). FAO species catalogue. Vol. 6. Snappers of the world: an annotated and illustrated catalogue of lutjanid species known to date. FAO Fisheries Synopsis 125(6). Roma: FAO.
  4. scientific Santamaría-Miranda, A. et al. (2005). Hábitos alimenticios del pargo amarillo Lutjanus argentiventris y del pargo rojo Lutjanus colorado (Pisces: Lutjanidae) en el norte de Sinaloa, México. Revista de Biología Marina y Oceanografía 40(1).DOI checked in Crossref.
  5. official Incopesca (Costa Rica) — Acordo AJDIP/026-2018 da Junta Diretiva: tamanhos legais de primeira captura (12/01/2018; La Gaceta nº 22, de 06/02/2018), que revogou o AJDIP/102-2017Table for art. 1 (snappers: mancha 30 cm, seda 28 cm, coliamarilla 32 cm, with 10% tolerance; first-maturity sizes of 32, 43 and 33 cm). Art. 7, b requires applying the first-maturity size in full after two years from publication (Feb 6, 2018); art. 8 repeals AJDIP/102-2017. Text checked 13/10/2026. We found no later agreement that changes these values.
  6. official Procuraduría General de la República (Costa Rica), SCIJ — AJDIP/102-2017, registro de norma derrogadaThe record carries a notice that the rule was repealed by agreement AJDIP/026-2018, of January 12, 2018. Page checked 13/10/2026.
  7. 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)Daily limits at sea (item 4.9.1) and in fresh water (4.9.2), one rod in inland waters (4.6 b), ban on live fish as bait in inland waters (4.7 c) and on fishing in closed areas and seasons (4.10).
don't confuse

similar species

Illustration of Colorado snapper
Lutjanidae

Colorado snapper

Lutjanus colorado

Red snapper of the Pacific rocky shores and reefs, from Mexico to Panama. A good fighter and good eating, it takes natural bait and jigs near the rocks.

SeaEstuary
time of yearbest: Mar–Oct
Illustration of Pacific dog snapper
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Pacific dog snapper

Lutjanus novemfasciatus

The largest eastern Pacific snapper, a brute with canine teeth that lives on rocky shores. It attacks poppers and live bait with violence and runs for the rock.

SeaEstuary
time of yearbest: Apr–Oct
Illustration of Spotted rose snapper
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Spotted rose snapper

Lutjanus guttatus

The pargo mancha, a snapper with a black spot on its back and one of the most common table fish in the Pacific, from Mexico to Peru. Bottom fishing with natural bait and light jigs over rocks.

SeaEstuary
time of yearbest: Mar–Oct