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Illustration of Player scorpionfish
fishing forecast

player scorpionfish

Scorpaena histrio · full profile

location

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period

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the species

everything about the player scorpionfish

how to recognize it

Stout body with a large, spiny head, as in all scorpionfishes. The popular names refer to dark spots on the body, which help camouflage the fish among the rocks. On the same coast live the reddish scorpionfish (Scorpaena russula) and the Sonora scorpionfish (Scorpaena sonorae), much smaller, up to 15 cm, while this one reaches 26 cm. It lives on rocky bottoms, 5 to 157 m deep.

Also called: escorpião-jogador, escorpión jugador, brujo con mancha, player scorpionfish

We don't have tips on season, bait or technique for this species yet.

Where to look: Rocky bottoms of the coast, 5 to 157 m deep.

Eastern Pacific, from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Chile, including the coasts of Ecuador and Peru and the Galápagos Islands, on rocky bottoms.

rules for the player scorpionfish

Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

estimated weight

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how we calculate

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01349, b = 3.01; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

more about the player scorpionfish

The plumed scorpionfish is a fish of the family Scorpaenidae, the scorpionfishes. It lives on rocky bottoms, 5 to 157 m deep, and occurs in the eastern Pacific, from Mazatlán, Mexico, to Chile, including the Galápagos Islands. Like other scorpionfishes, it waits motionless on the bottom for prey. It grows to 26 cm, and the common size is 12 cm. The family's spines are venomous, so handling requires care. It has potential interest for fishing and is considered a sport fish.

Family: Scorpaenidae · predator

similar species

sources and references (2)

Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.

  1. scientific FishBase: Scorpaena histrio (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Scorpaena histrioNames by country and language.