Fishing guides › Northern & Central Chile
FISHING GUIDE · NORTHERN CHILE
Northern & Central Chile: Iquique and Antofagasta Fishing Guide
Northern Chile was a world swordfish hotspot in the 1930s to 1950s, and the all-tackle swordfish record from Iquique still stands in IGFA lists. Today anglers fish the north for yellowtail (palometa), jack mackerel, flounder and other coastal fish, and farther south for corvina. Every angler needs a SERNAPESCA license, and several species have closed seasons and size limits.
📍 Chile's Pacific coast. In the north: Iquique (Tarapacá), Tocopilla and Antofagasta/Mejillones (Antofagasta Region), a desert coast with deep water close to shore. Central and south-central coast from Valparaíso south to Biobío. Robinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández) lies about 400 miles offshore, reached through Santiago.
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Northern & Central Chile map →
Quick facts
- Lou Marron caught the IGFA all-tackle record swordfish, 1,182 pounds, off Iquique on May 7, 1953.
- Saltwater sport fishing in Chile started at Tocopilla in 1933, where visiting anglers chased swordfish (albacora) and marlin into the 1940s.
- Everyone fishing recreationally in Chile, Chileans and foreigners, needs a SERNAPESCA license (Law 20.256); foreigners have no age exemptions.
- Selling fish caught with personal recreational gear is illegal in Chile.
- Corvina has a closed season every October and November, when catching, selling or transporting it is banned.
What you can catch
- Swordfish (albacora)
The historic big-game fish of Iquique and Tocopilla. - Striped marlin
Was fished at Tocopilla in the 1930s-40s along with other marlin. - Yellowtail (palometa, vidriola, Seriola lalandi)
Fished in the Antofagasta region; big ones off Robinson Crusoe Island Oct-Apr. - Corvina
Closed Oct 1 - Nov 30; no minimum size; mainly fished in Biobío, Los Ríos and Los Lagos. - Jack mackerel (jurel)
Open all year Arica to Los Lagos; minimum 26 cm fork length. - Flounder (lenguado)
Open all year; minimum 30 cm for Paralichthys adspersus. - Cojinoba del norte
Closed Aug 1-31 from Arica to Coquimbo; 30 cm minimum in Atacama and Coquimbo.
Month by month
| January | Southern summer. Yellowtail season at Robinson Crusoe (Oct-Apr). |
|---|---|
| February | Summer; yellowtail at Robinson Crusoe. |
| March | Late summer; yellowtail at Robinson Crusoe. |
| April | Autumn; end of Robinson Crusoe yellowtail season. |
| May | Autumn; check local conditions. |
| June | Winter; check local conditions. |
| July | Winter; check local conditions. |
| August | Cojinoba del norte closed Aug 1-31 (Arica to Coquimbo). |
| September | Common hake (merluza común) closed Sep 1-30. |
| October | Corvina closed from Oct 1. Robinson Crusoe yellowtail season opens. |
| November | Corvina closed through Nov 30. |
| December | Southern summer starts; corvina open again. |
Tips
- Buy your license online at pescarecreativa.sernapesca.cl before you go, and carry it with your passport.
- Non-resident foreigners get a one-year license for sea and freshwater; check the current price on SERNAPESCA's price page.
- Do not sell any fish you catch, and use only personal gear (no nets).
- Learn the corvina closure (Oct-Nov) and the jurel and lenguado size limits before keeping fish.
- SERNAPESCA help line: 800 320 032.
Rules and license
SERNAPESCA (Servicio Nacional de Pesca y Acuicultura); SUBPESCA sets the measures · Official rules page ↗
- License required for recreational and spear fishing in all Chilean waters (Law 20.256); get it online or at a SERNAPESCA office.
- Exempt (Chileans and residents only): under 12, over 65, and registered disabled persons. Foreigners have no exemptions.
- Fishing without a license is a serious offense (fine 4-10 UTM under Law 20.256). License fees: check current rules.
- Selling recreational catch is banned; explosives, firearms, poisons and electricity are banned.
- Corvina: closed Oct 1 - Nov 30 each year, Arica to Magallanes.
- Jurel minimum 26 cm fork length; lenguado (P. adspersus) minimum 30 cm total length.
- Cojinoba del norte closed Aug 1-31 (Arica to Coquimbo); merluza común closed Sep 1-30.
- Authorities can set catch-and-release-only areas and ban boat fishing in some areas; check local zones.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 3 boat ramps and 1 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Boat ramp (Iquique)
- Boat ramp near Caleta Camarones
- Boat ramp near Caleta Chanavaya
- Club de Yates de Antofagasta
Sources
- https://www.marlinmag.com/?p=40671
- https://fotografia.surdoc.cl/index.php/system/files/library-files/2024-08/TOCOPILLAESUNPARAISOPARALOSPESCADORES.pdf
- https://www.chileatiende.gob.cl/fichas/4636/1/pdf
- https://www.sernapesca.cl/pesca-recreativa/
- https://www.sernapesca.cl/preguntas-frecuentes/obtencion-licencia-pesca-recreativa/
- https://www.directemar.cl/directemar/site/docs/20170125/20170125100435/ley_que_establece_normas_sobre_pesca_recreativa.pdf
- https://sp.tchile.com/sites/default/files/medidas_de_administracion_de_pesca_recreativa_en_chile_2023-2024_v20231012.1.pdf
- https://weareaquaculture.com/news/environment/chilean-corvina-approaches-10-years-as-a-conservation-dependent-species
- https://source.subpesca.cl/portal/615/articles-113938_documento.pdf
- https://anglersjournal.com/saltwater/fishing-robinson-crusoe-island/
- https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/1750/175014504007.pdf
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.