FISHING GUIDE · SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO
San Juan Lagoons and Coast Fishing Guide
San Juan has tarpon in city lagoons and in the bay, just minutes from hotels and the airport. Snook and jacks hang around the mangroves and the channels. Blue water is a short run offshore for marlin, mahi-mahi, wahoo and tuna.
📍 San Juan and Carolina (Laguna San José, Laguna Torrecilla, Piñones/Loíza edge, Condado Lagoon, San Juan Bay); offshore trips leave from Club Náutico de San Juan on the San Antonio Channel and other San Juan Bay marinas.
📅 Puerto Rico Fishing Calendar — best months, closed seasons, bait & rigs →
Map: spots, ramps and marinas
★ Fishing hot spot · ● Boat ramp · ● Marina · ▭ Protected area (solid red = no fishing, dashed = fishing with rules)
Open the full Puerto Rico map →
Quick facts
- Laguna San José and Laguna Torrecilla are known for tarpon, often fished with light tackle and fly gear.
- Condado Lagoon is the Reserva Natural Estuarina de la Laguna del Condado (Law 112 of Sept. 30, 2013). Fishing and motorboats are banned inside it.
- Club Náutico de San Juan has been on the San Antonio Channel since 1933. It hosts the International Billfish Tournament, a blue marlin event held each August that turned 70 in 2023.
- In Puerto Rico waters, tarpon (sábalo) may only be caught and released, all year.
What you can catch
- Tarpon (sábalo)
Main target in the lagoons and bay all year. Catch and release only. - Snook (róbalo)
Found along mangroves and channel edges. PR size slot is 22 to 38 inches. - Jack crevalle
Hard fighters in Laguna San José and off the beaches. - Great barracuda
Found near the bay and reef edges. Ciguatera risk, so release the big ones. - Blue marlin
Offshore target. Peaks in summer, with the August tournament at Club Náutico. - Mahi-mahi (dorado)
Offshore, spring into summer. Federal minimum 24 inches fork length. - Wahoo (peto)
Offshore in fall and winter. Federal minimum 32 inches fork length. - Tunas
Yellowfin show up offshore in the fall. Skipjack and blackfin are also caught.
Month by month
| January | Tarpon in the lagoons. Wahoo offshore. Clear inshore water is good for sight fishing. |
|---|---|
| February | Tarpon inshore. Wahoo offshore. Some late marlin. |
| March | Tarpon get more active. Marlin start to show offshore. |
| April | Tarpon feed hard inshore. Blue and white marlin and mahi-mahi offshore. |
| May | Start of the best stretch (May to Sept). Tarpon and snook inshore, mahi-mahi and marlin offshore. |
| June | Peak big-game season. Marlin, sailfish and mahi-mahi offshore. Tarpon and snook inshore. |
| July | Peak summer: blue marlin offshore, tarpon and snook in the lagoons. |
| August | Blue marlin season. Club Náutico International Billfish Tournament. Tarpon inshore. |
| September | Last of the summer blue marlin. Tarpon and snook inshore. |
| October | Yellowfin tuna and sailfish offshore. Small tarpon schooling in the bay. Kingfish and barracuda. |
| November | Wahoo and sailfish pick up as the water cools. Tarpon inshore. |
| December | Wahoo offshore. Tarpon in the lagoons. |
Tips
- Release every tarpon. Keep it in the water when you can and get it back fast.
- Do not fish in Condado Lagoon. It is a reserve with no fishing and no motorboats, and manatees use it.
- Early mornings are usually calmer and cooler for both lagoon and offshore trips.
- Book ahead for tarpon and marlin season. Most charters supply gear, bait and permits for their passengers.
- Do not eat large barracuda or other big reef predators because of the ciguatera risk. Cooking and freezing do not remove the toxin.
Rules and license
Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales (DRNA) · Official rules page ↗
- PR Fishing Regulation 7949 defines a recreational fisher as a person with a license issued by the DRNA Secretary. Check with DRNA for the current license process.
- Tarpon (sábalo), bonefish (macabí) and permit/pompano (palometa, pámpano) are catch and release only, all year, in PR waters.
- Snook (róbalo): minimum 22 inches, maximum 38 inches.
- Condado Lagoon Estuarine Natural Reserve (Law 112-2013): fishing, taking any species, and motorized boats are prohibited.
- PR daily limits include dorado 10 per person and 30 per boat, peto 5 per person and 10 per boat, sierra 5 per person and 10 per boat, and yellowfin tuna 3 per person.
- Federal waters (since July 25, 2025): dorado minimum 24 inches FL with 5 per person and 15 per boat; wahoo minimum 32 inches FL with 5 per person and 10 per boat.
- Federal seasonal closures: red hind Dec 1 to Feb 28; red, black, tiger and yellowfin grouper Feb 1 to Apr 30; mutton and lane snapper Apr 1 to Jun 30; black, blackfin, vermilion and silk snapper Oct 1 to Dec 31. Nassau and goliath grouper, midnight, blue and rainbow parrotfish, and queen conch may never be kept in federal waters.
- Charter boats are limited to 6 anglers, and the catch cannot be sold. A federal HMS permit must be aboard when targeting highly migratory species.
Rules change. Always check the official page before you fish.
Boat ramps and marinas
The map above shows 10 boat ramps and 5 marinas from OpenStreetMap. Tap any dot for directions.
- Club Náutico de San Juan
- Congrejos Yacht Club
- San Juan Bay Marina
- U.S. Coast Guard - Base San Juan
Sources
- https://fishingbooker.com/blog/san-juan-puerto-rico-fishing/
- https://fishingbooker.com/destinations/location/pr/san-juan
- https://www.discoverpuertorico.com/things-to-do/outdoors/fishing
- https://www.marlinmag.com/tournaments/international-billfish-tournament-of-club-nautico-de-san-juan-final-results-2023
- https://estuario.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Ley-de-la-RNELC-112-2013.pdf
- https://www.drna.pr.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Resumen-7949.pdf
- https://www.drna.pr.gov/turismonautico/bote-de-alquiler-de-pesca-fishing-charter/
- https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/southeast/rules-and-regulations/seasonal-and-area-fishing-closures-us-caribbean
- https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/bulletin/regla-final-implementando-medidas-de-manejo-para-el-dorado-y-el-peto
- https://www.cdc.gov/Mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5534a2.htm
Checked October 2026. BigJoe does not invent facts: every number on this page comes from the sources listed above.