Yucatan Mexico · Mexico

Cozumel Reef fishing forecast

49 Fair of 100

Cozumel Reef is a saltwater fishing spot in Yucatan Mexico, Mexico. Anglers here target Indo-Pacific Sailfish, Wahoo, Mahi-Mahi. The most productive months are typically March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.

Quick answer

Best monthsMarch, April, May, June

Top speciesIndo-Pacific Sailfish, Wahoo, Mahi-Mahi

Score now49/100

Local rulesMexico

Today’s verdict

Ranks #414 of 437 spots FishRadar scored worldwide today

In line with 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+25.0Waves+9.0Wind+8.0

Pressure trend

Pressure stable — fish feeding on their usual rhythm

Next solunar peak

minor 09:15

Current conditions

Sea surface temp	29.9 °C
Wind	17 km/h from ENE, gusting 22 km/h
Wave height	0.3 m at 4 s
Current	1.00 m/s toward NE
Pressure	1015 hPa
Cloud cover	100%
Chlorophyll	0.12 mg/m³
Salinity	36.3 PSU
Mixed-layer depth	12 m
UV index	0
Wind sea	0.1 m at 3 s
Ground swell	0.2 m at 4 s from SE
Current shear (surface vs 50 m)	1.00 → 0.85 m/s

The water here is 3.3 °C warmer than the September average of 26.7 °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 Cozumel Reef

Cozumel Reef currently scores 49 out of 100 (Fair). Water temperature is 29.9 °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
Waves +9.0: swell energy stirring the water column
Wind +8.0: surface chop, oxygen and bait drift
Chlorophyll +7.3: plankton density — the base of the food chain
Pre-storm bite +5.0: the classic feed before heavy weather
Barometric pressure +3.3: falling pressure often triggers feeding

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 · 15% lit

Solunar day rating

50 / 100

Best months for Cozumel Reef:

Score history at this spot

30 days tracked at this exact location

Best recent day: 2026-08-13, 62/100

3 points below the same day last week

About this spot

Water type

Reef

Reefs concentrate fish around coral and rocky structure, drop-offs, and the channels and edges where current funnels bait. Work the reef edges and adjacent deeper water, and fish the moving tide.

Access & shore

Best reached by boat · offshore-only

What you can catch

Indo-Pacific Sailfish

Istiophorus platypterus
Wahoo

Acanthocybium solandri
Mahi-Mahi

Coryphaena hippurus

Best months by species at Cozumel Reef

Indo-Pacific SailfishIstiophorus platypterus
WahooAcanthocybium solandri
Mahi-MahiCoryphaena hippurus

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.