Saltwater · Year-round; reefs and estuary mouths best in warm months.

Colorado Snapper

Lutjanus colorado

The deep-red 'pargo colorado' — a uniformly scarlet snapper of Pacific reefs and estuary mouths, barred only as a juvenile, and a staple of Mexican Pacific fish markets.

Seasons · Peak

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Colorado Snapper — Photo: D Ross Robertson, Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

Identifying features

Body and fins mostly deep, uniform red
Sometimes a blue streak below the eye
Juveniles barred, adults plain red
Preopercular notch and knob weak
No flank spot and no stripes in adults

Habits

Reef-associated, also brackish estuary mouths
Feeds on fish, shrimp and crabs
Juveniles in estuaries and shallow reefs
Adults over hard bottom to about 70 m

Distribution

Sea of Cortez (Gulf of California) · Baja California Sur, Sonora & Sinaloa★ Primary

Mazatlán & the Mainland Pacific Coast · Sinaloa to Oaxaca★ Primary

Baja California Pacific Coast · Baja California & Baja California SurCommon

Pacific Coast, Guatemala · GuatemalaCommon

Pacific Coast, Costa Rica · Costa RicaCommon

Panama — Pacific, Canal & Caribbean · PanamaCommon

San Diego, CA · CaliforniaOccasional

Where to find them

Reefs off Mazatlán and the Sea of Cortez Baja shore
Estuary mouths on the Nayarit and Sinaloa coast
Rocky reefs off Costa Rica's central Pacific
Points and reefs off Panama's Azuero

Where they live

rocky reefsestuary mouthshard bottom 1-70 mrocky points

How to catch them

Bottom fishing over reef Boat

Rig: Bottom rig with cut bait over hard bottom and reef

Bait/lure: Cut fish or squid

Key tip: Anchor over structure and fish baits tight to the bottom.

Estuary-mouth bait fishing Boat

Rig: Light bottom or float rig with shrimp at estuary mouths

Bait/lure: Shrimp

Key tip: Fish the tide change at mangrove mouths where colorados hunt.

Vertical jigging Boat

Rig: Metal jig worked just off rocky bottom

Bait/lure: Metal jig 60-120 g

Key tip: Jig over reef in 20-50 m and wind steadily on the bite.

Best baits & lures

cut fishshrimpsquid

Techniques for Colorado Snapper →

Baseline setup

Rod: 7-7.5 ft medium-heavy boat rod
Line: 30-40 lb braid
Terminal: 50 lb leader, 5/0-7/0 circle hooks

Recommended gear for this species

Rod · Best value

7'6" medium-heavy jigging rod

≈ US$110-170

Works 2-6 oz jigs over rock and reef and still has the backbone to lift a halibut off the bottom.

Line · Budget

50 lb braid with 40 lb leader (200 yd)

≈ US$25-40

Thin braid cuts the current so jigs stay vertical; the leader shrugs off rock and teeth.

Terminal · Budget

Leadhead jigs, swimbaits and two-hook bottom rigs

≈ US$25-40

A leadhead with a swimbait tail is the universal bottom-fish catcher, from rockfish to cod to flounder.

Picks are never paid placements. Prices are guides; price links are coming soon and none is an affiliate link yet.

Typical size

Common 40-60 cm; large specimens to 91 cm and 9.3 kg.

On the table

Very good — classic red snapper table quality.

Similar species

Mullet SnapperMullet snapper carries about a dozen dark flank stripes; adult Colorado snapper is plain deep red with none.

Pacific Red SnapperPacific red snapper is rosier, larger-mouthed, and develops an eye-to-nostril groove as a big adult; Colorado is a deeper, more uniform red.

Regulations vary by area and can change in-season — always check the official rules for your area before you fish. Regulations guide →

Plan a trip for Colorado Snapper

Build today's plan

⚠ Heads-up: Colorado Snapper doesn't occur around Vancouver, BC (or is very rare there), so it's not a sensible local target. Your plan stays in Vancouver, BC and is built around the fish that actually live there.