Great Barracuda
Barracuda · also Picuda
Sphyraena barracuda · Sphyraenidae
- Category
- Mackerel & Barracuda
- Found in
- Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean
- IUCN status
- Least Concern
About Great Barracuda in Mexico
How to recognize it
The great barracuda is a large, torpedo-shaped predator with a big underslung jaw and long, uneven teeth. Adults have a gray-green back, silver sides and scattered dark blotches on the lower flanks, a feature that separates them from smaller barracuda species. Fish of 10 to 30 pounds are common, and larger ones are possible.
Where and when in Mexico
Known as barracuda or picuda in Mexico, this species lives in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, not the Pacific. In the Mexican Caribbean it patrols reefs, channels and flats around Cozumel, Isla Mujeres, Holbox and the bays of Sian Ka'an, including Ascension Bay. Along the Gulf coast it appears over reefs and wrecks off Veracruz and Campeche and around the Yucatán. Barracuda are present year-round in most of these waters. Mexico Fish Reports' landings have no counts for this species.
How it's fished
On the flats, guides spot cruising barracuda and have anglers cast tube lures or long needlefish-style flies, retrieved as fast as possible. Over reefs, trolled plugs and spoons, or live bait on wire leaders, are productive. Many are caught while chasing other species near reef edges.
Good to know
Large reef barracuda can carry ciguatera toxin, so many local anglers avoid eating big ones and most are released. Watch the teeth when unhooking.
Fishing rules in Mexico
- General limit: 10 fish per angler per day, max 5 of one species
Source: NOM-017-PESC-1994 §4.9.1 (2013 mod.). Rules change; confirm current limits, seasons and permits with CONAPESCA before you fish.
