Caribbean · Mexico

Cancún Reef fishing forecast

92 Good of 100

Cancún Reef is a saltwater fishing spot in Caribbean, Mexico. Anglers here target Indo-Pacific Sailfish, Mahi-Mahi, Wahoo. The most productive months are typically March, April, May, June, July.

Quick answer

Best monthsMarch, April, May, June

Top speciesIndo-Pacific Sailfish, Mahi-Mahi, Wahoo

Score now92/100

Local rulesMexico

Today’s verdict

Ranks #45 of 437 spots FishRadar scored worldwide today

Trending up — 5 points above this spot’s 7-day average

Score confidence ±4 points, from 8 live signals

The statistical model disagrees with the physics model here today — treat this score with extra caution.

Helping the score most

Water temperature+25.0Chlorophyll+18.0Current+18.0

Pressure trend

Pressure data unavailable

Best window today

07:00 · Light wind (0 km/h) and calm seas

Next solunar peak

minor 09:13

Current conditions

Sea surface temp	30.0 °C
Wind	18 km/h from ESE, gusting 23 km/h
Wave height	0.6 m at 5 s
Current	0.15 m/s toward N
Pressure	1015 hPa
Depth	24 m
Cloud cover	100%
Chlorophyll	0.35 mg/m³
Salinity	36.4 PSU
Mixed-layer depth	7 m
UV index	0
Wind sea	0.1 m at 2 s
Ground swell	0.4 m at 5 s from ESE
Current shear (surface vs 50 m)	0.15 → 0.00 m/s

The water here is 3.5 °C warmer than the September average of 26.6 °C. Warmer-than-normal water pushes cool-water species deeper and brings warm-water species in earlier than the calendar suggests. The water is mixed to about 67.3 m, so surface temperature carries well down the water column.

Updated 1 h ago.

What the score means at Cancún Reef

Cancún Reef currently scores 92 out of 100 (Good). Water temperature is 30.0 °C. 8 forecast signals are active in this score.

Water temperature +25.0: how close the water is to this species mix’s comfort band
Chlorophyll +18.0: plankton density — the base of the food chain
Current +18.0: moving water concentrates bait
Waves +9.0: swell energy stirring the water column
Wind +8.0: surface chop, oxygen and bait drift
Pre-storm bite +5.0: the classic feed before heavy weather

What’s biting now

The model expects today: mahi-mahi, wahoo, blue-tang, stoplight-parrotfish, french-grunt, bluestriped-grunt, schoolmaster-snapper, striped-parrotfish

Bite windows

Moon

Waning Crescent · 14% lit

Solunar day rating

50 / 100

Best months for Cancún Reef:

Score history at this spot

30 days tracked at this exact location

Best recent day: 2026-08-13, 92/100

28 day(s) at 70+ in the tracked period

About this spot

Water type

Sea

Open coastal saltwater — conditions and safety depend heavily on the live wind, wave, and tide forecast, so check them before you head out.

Approximate bottom depth: 24 m

Access & shore

Best reached by boat · offshore-only

What you can catch

Indo-Pacific Sailfish

Istiophorus platypterus
Mahi-Mahi

Coryphaena hippurus
Wahoo

Acanthocybium solandri

Best months by species at Cancún Reef

Indo-Pacific SailfishIstiophorus platypterus
Mahi-MahiCoryphaena hippurus
WahooAcanthocybium solandri

Typical months; local seasons and closures apply.

Local regulations

Comisión Nacional de Acuacultura y Pesca (CONAPESCA) — Secretaría de Agricultura y Desarrollo Rural (SADER)

Mexico

Species	Bag limit	Min size	Open season
Indo-Pacific SailfishOfficial source	1/day	—	—
Sailfish is a "picudo": 1 per angler per day, counts as 5 organisms against the 10/day limit, reserved for sport fishing within 50 nm of shore, sale prohibited. Tag-and-release is the recreational norm.
Mahi-MahiOfficial source	2/day	—	—
Dorado is limited to 2 per angler per day and counts toward the 10/day total. It is one of the nine species reserved exclusively for sport fishing within 50 nautical miles of shore — commercial sale is prohibited.

Licensing:

saltwater-recreational — residents Federal sport-fishing permit (permiso de pesca deportivo-recreativa) required for everyone aboard a vessel fishing in Mexican waters, regardless of age or whether they personally fish. Fishing from shore or a pier does NOT require a permit. Permit terms: daily ~$127 MXN, weekly ~$318 MXN, monthly ~$476 MXN, annual ~$635 MXN. Buy from CONAPESCA online or authorised vendors., non-residents Same federal permit applies to visiting anglers and is sold online by CONAPESCA and by state tourism portals (e.g. Baja California). Charter/panga operators usually arrange permits for clients — confirm before departure. Underwater (spearfishing) requires an individual permit.

FishRadar regulations are summaries for informational purposes only and are not a legal source. Mexican sport-fishing rules are set federally by CONAPESCA (NOM-017-PESC) but daily limits, reserved species and protected natural areas (ANPs, e.g. Cabo Pulmo, Revillagigedo, Banco Chinchorro) carry extra restrictions, and rules change. The overall limit is 10 organisms per angler per day, maximum 5 of one species. Always carry a valid permit when fishing from a vessel and verify current rules with CONAPESCA before fishing.