Vermilion Rockfish

About Vermilion Rockfish in Mexico

How to recognize it

Vermilion rockfish are deep red overall, with gray mottling on the back and a reddish mouth and fins. The fins usually show darker edges, and darker streaks run back from the eye across the cheek. The lower jaw has a rough, scaly texture. Canary rockfish look somewhat similar but are more orange, while the closely related sunset rockfish is nearly impossible to tell apart without a close look.

Where and when in Mexico

Mexico's official name is rocote bermejo, though on the boats it is often lumped with other red rockfish. Off the Pacific coast of northern Baja, it lives on high-relief reefs and pinnacles from moderate depths to several hundred feet, with the Ensenada fleet fishing it around Todos Santos, Punta Banda and the banks farther south. Fishing is good year-round and carries winter trips when pelagic fish are gone. Mexico Fish Reports' data shows over 10,000 from Ensenada since 2005.

How it's fished

Standard dropper rigs with shrimp flies or circle hooks baited with squid catch them, dropped onto rocky structure and kept just off the bottom. Larger fish often suspend above the reef, so lead-head swimbaits or metal jigs worked up off the rocks can pull bigger individuals.

Good to know

One of the best-eating rockfish, with firm white fillets. Like other deepwater species, they rarely survive release without a descending device.

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.

Where Vermilion Rockfish are caught in Mexico

• Ensenada 10,081 counted · last Oct 2026
• San Felipe 33 counted · last Sep 2007
• Cabo San Lucas 1 counted · last Jan 2009

Fish counts by year

From fish counts posted by the Mexican landings on Mexico Fish Reports. Years with no posted counts are not shown.

Boats catching Vermilion Rockfish (2025–2026)

• Sammy Ensenada 1,229 counted on 56 trips
• El Cazador Ensenada 1,180 counted on 60 trips
• Don Jesus I Ensenada 435 counted on 23 trips
• No Limitz Ensenada 276 counted on 22 trips
• Coco Loco Ensenada 254 counted on 8 trips
• Yaz - Itzi Ensenada 146 counted on 10 trips
• Last Cast Ensenada 126 counted on 11 trips
• Horse Ensenada 98 counted on 9 trips

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