Saltwater · Year-round in warm coastal water; schools most visible in summer.
Pacific Lookdown
Selene peruviana
A mirror-bright, paper-thin moonfish of sandy Pacific coasts — FishBase lists it as the Pacific moonfish (Selene peruviana); it is the eastern Pacific counterpart of the Atlantic lookdown, schooling near the bottom and flashing silver in the sun.
Seasons · Peak
Identifying features
- Extremely deep, thin, mirror-like compressed body
- Steep, blunt, near-vertical head profile
- Silvery to golden with metallic blue highlights
- No elongated dorsal/anal lobes in adults (unlike Mexican lookdown)
- Juveniles with a dark oval spot on the lateral line
Habits
- Schools near the bottom over sand in coastal water to about 50 m
- Juveniles nearer the surface and in estuaries
- Feeds on small fish and crustaceans
- Often caught incidentally in beach seines and by pier anglers
Distribution
Where to find them
- Sandy bays off Mazatlán and Manzanillo
- Surf edges along the mainland Pacific
- Bay and estuary mouths in Costa Rica
- Coastal shallows off Panama's Pacific shore
Where they live
How to catch them
Sabiki over sand Boat
Rig: Sabiki rig jigged just above sandy bottom where schools hold
Bait/lure: Small feather hooks
Key tip: Jig gently near the bottom in bays and over coastal sand.
Shrimp on light tackle Shore
Rig: Tiny hook with shrimp under a float or on a light bottom rig
Bait/lure: Shrimp pieces
Key tip: Fish from piers and surf edges where moonfish schools pass.
Tiny jig casting Shore
Rig: Micro jig cast and retrieved slowly near the bottom
Bait/lure: Tiny metal jig
Key tip: Slow retrieves with pauses over sand pockets near structure.
Best baits & lures
Baseline setup
- Rod: 6.5-7 ft ultralight-light spinning rod
- Line: 6-12 lb line
- Terminal: Small hooks (size 6-10) and micro jigs
Recommended gear for this species
Rod · Best value
9' medium-heavy surf spinning rod
≈ US$110-170
Casts plugs and bait past the breakers and handles stripers, drum and bluefish in the wash.
Reel · Best value
5000 size sealed spinning reel
≈ US$120-180
Salt spray and dunkings kill cheap reels — a sealed body and 30 lb braid capacity are the surf standard.
Terminal · Budget
Topwater plugs, soft-plastic jigs and fish-finder rigs
≈ US$25-40
Plugs for blitzes, jigs for the trough, bait on a fish-finder rig when they won't chase — the inshore trio.
Picks are never paid placements. Prices are guides; price links are coming soon and none is an affiliate link yet.
Typical size
Common to about 24 cm fork length; maximum 40 cm total length — a small species under 1 kg.
On the table
Fair to good fresh; often sold salted or dried locally.
Similar species
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 Pacific Lookdown
Build today's plan⚠ Heads-up: Pacific Lookdown 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.