Skip to content
EN
PT PortuguêsES EspañolEN English
fishing forecast

stone triggerfish

Pseudobalistes naufragium · Balistidae · predator

Sea

The largest triggerfish of the eastern Pacific, with thick skin and strong teeth that crack sea urchins. Lives on rocky shores and reefs, and takes natural bait on the bottom.

Also called: peixe-porco-de-pedra, stone triggerfish, blunthead triggerfish

everything about the stone triggerfish where found
Scientific illustration of Stone triggerfish
common size
40–55 cm
maximum
100 cm
common weight
1.2–3 kg
record/max.
— kg
depth
3–36 m
ideal water
22–29 °C
location

Sample location: choose yours to see the forecast for where you fish.

period

Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…

the species

everything about the stone triggerfish

overview

who is the stone triggerfish

Triggerfish (family Balistidae) of the eastern Pacific, from southern Baja California and the central Gulf of California to Ecuador, with islands such as Galápagos, Cocos and Malpelo. FishBase also records Peru and Chile. It is the largest of the family in the region, reaching 1 m. Lives over rocky reefs, from 3 to about 35 m, and sometimes over gravel and sand nearby. Eats sea urchins, small crustaceans and mollusks, blowing sand aside to find prey or flipping over the urchin. For the angler it is a secondary bottom fish, caught from a boat over rocks and shoals and from rocky shores with natural bait. It has teeth that cut thin line and, when hooked, tends to wedge itself into a crevice and lock its dorsal spine.

fun facts

  • It is the largest triggerfish of the eastern Pacific, reaching 1 m.
  • It blows jets of water onto the sand to find prey and flips over sea urchins to eat them.
  • The first dorsal spine locks upright and acts as a wedge inside crevices, which makes it hard to pull the fish out of its hole.
how to recognize it

identification

Tall, compressed body with thick, leathery skin and large plates in diagonal rows. Grayish-blue to brown in color, with alternating light and dark bands on the flanks; gill opening white. Small mouth at the tip of the snout, with eight strong teeth in each jaw, and a first dorsal spine that locks upright. No scales in front of the mouth or just behind it. It is the largest triggerfish in the region, which helps tell it apart from the others in the eastern Pacific.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

Not found in Brazil. Eastern Pacific: from southern Baja California and the central Gulf of California to Ecuador, with the Galápagos, Cocos and Malpelo islands; FishBase also records Peru and Chile.

Habitat: Rocky reefs and neighboring gravel and sand bottoms, from 3 to 36 m.

calendar and clock

when to fish

best season

time of yearbest: Apr–Oct
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Fishable all year. Clean, warm water with little current over the rock matters more than the month.

best time of day

0h6h12h18h sunrise ~6amsunset ~6pm

Daytime. Active by day, when it searches the bottom for urchins and crustaceans; at night it retreats into crevices.

weather, water and behavior

what affects the stone triggerfish
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 water drops activity over the rocks.

atmospheric pressure

Little direct effect; a turning sea hurts bottom fishing.

moon

Small effect.

rain

Little effect on the bottom; heavy rain muddies the areas near river mouths.

water level

Not applicable at sea.

noise

Anchor and motor over the rock spook fish; approach slowly.

wind

Strong wind makes it hard to keep the boat over the rock.

tide

Moderate current carries the bait's scent into the hole.

depth

From 3 to 35 m, along rocks and holes.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Natural bait on the bottomBottom fishing from a boatRocky shore
rod
6'6" to 7', 15 to 30 lb
spinning / baitcasting reel
4000 to 6000 spinning reel or small conventional reel with firm drag
line
braid 30 to 40 lb
leader
fluorocarbon 50 to 60 lb or thin steel cable, 40 to 60 cm: the teeth cut thin nylon
hook
circle hook or short-shank hook with a strong shank, 2/0 to 4/0

lures

  • jig head with short silicone tail (rarely used)

natural baits

  • shrimp
  • small crab
  • mussel or opened shellfish
  • squid strips

accessories

  • long-nose pliers
  • luvas
  • sinker, 60 to 150 g

tip from an angler

The mouth is small and the teeth are strong: use small pieces of bait and a short hook. Once hooked, pull the fish out of the hole quickly, before it wedges into a crevice and locks its dorsal spine.

what the law says

rules for the stone triggerfish

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 recreational sport fishing in Mexican federal waters, each angler may keep up to 10 marine fish per day, no more than 5 of the same species. The rock triggerfish is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlin, sailfish, swordfish, tarpon, 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 limit go back alive, and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Anglers fishing from a boat need an individual permit; anglers fishing from shore do not.

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, 4.11 and 4.14 (Sagarpa/Conapesca)

Colombia: AUNAP license and catch-and-release in sport fishing

Individual AUNAP license; catch-and-release guidanceconfirm with the agency

AUNAP Resolution 0549 of 2022 sets the guidelines for recreational sport fishing in Colombia. Anglers need a permit: for an individual, Colombian or foreign, it is a personal, non-transferable card. The rule makes "catch and release" the guidance and admits keeping only part of the catch for personal consumption, respecting the minimum sizes it sets. We did not confirm the daily limit or the minimum sizes by species: check with AUNAP before keeping fish.

Source: Resolución AUNAP 0549 of 2022 (fishing management guidelines for sport fishing for recreational purposes), arts. 6 and 8; Official Gazette of Mar 25, 2022

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.

Remove the hook with long-nose pliers, keeping your hand away from the mouth, which has strong teeth. Release it quickly and head-down, especially if it comes from more than 20 m.

in the kitchen

Like the other triggerfish, it has white flesh that is firm once the thick skin is removed; it does well fried, grilled or in a stew.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02692, b = 2.91; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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: Pseudobalistes naufragium (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 Pseudobalistes naufragiumNames by country and language.
  3. scientific Robertson, D. R. & Allen, G. R. (2024). Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system, versão 3.0. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Pseudobalistes naufragiumDescription, colors, size, depth and distribution in the eastern Pacific. Page checked on 13/10/2026. The depth and size (up to 100 cm) match FishBase.
  4. 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)Reserves species for sport fishing (item 0.3), permits (4.3 and 4.14), rods and hooks (4.6), bait (4.7), daily limits at sea (4.9.1) and in fresh water (4.9.2), catch and release (4.9.5), closed zones and seasons (4.10), and a ban on selling the catch (4.11). Text checked on Oct 13, 2026; the publication date (Nov 25, 2013) comes from Secretaría de Economía rules that cite the amendment.
  5. official AUNAP (Colômbia): Resolução 0549 de 2022, lineamientos de ordenación pesquera para la pesca deportiva con fines recreativosWe reviewed, in a partial transcript of the text, what the rule says about the personal license (art. 6) and the catch-and-release guidance (arts. 8 to 10). We could not read the articles on the daily bag limit and minimum sizes; the draft rule provided for a personal-consumption limit that AUNAP said it would revise, so those figures are left out.
don't confuse

similar species

Illustration of Gray triggerfish
BalistidaeEN

Gray triggerfish

Balistes capriscus

The peroá of the rocky shores and submerged reefs of the Southeast and South. Listed nationally as Endangered: catch prohibited from October 25, 2026.

Sea
time of yearbest: Oct–Mar
Illustration of Finescale triggerfish
Balistidae

Finescale triggerfish

Balistes polylepis

Triggerfish of rocky reefs of the eastern Pacific, from Mexico to Chile, reaching 76 cm. It is harmless to anglers and is commercially caught.

Sea
Illustration of Rough triggerfish
Balistidae

Rough triggerfish

Canthidermis maculata

Dark, rough-skinned triggerfish of the open sea, which spends almost its whole life at the surface, near logs, sargassum and other floating objects. It forms schools and takes small bait.

Sea
time of year
Illustration of Redtail triggerfish
Balistidae

Redtail triggerfish

Xanthichthys mento

Triggerfish that forms schools over reefs and near oceanic islands in the eastern Pacific, with a red tail in males. It is harmless to anglers.

Sea