Barred pargo (Hoplopagrus guentherii), illustration

Sport fishing Hoplopagrus guentherii

Barred pargo in Los Cabos

A snapper unlike any other: the only species in its genus, with molar teeth, a snorkel-like nostril and a taste for sea urchins. It lives on the rocky reefs of Los Cabos and the Gulf of California.

Up to 92 cmMax length

29 lb 12 ozIGFA world record

3–100 mDepth range

5 per dayLimit per angler

Season in Los Cabos

Jan●Feb●Mar●Apr●May●●Jun●●Jul●Aug●Sep●Oct●Nov●Dec●

●● best months · ● regular · · occasional. Based on local fishing reports; conditions change year to year.

Tap a month to see everything biting in Cabo that month ›

How to recognize it

A deep-bodied snapper, gray to dark brown on the head and back, with about six long double brown bars down the sides and small dark spots on the snout and nape. Look for the long, tubular front nostril pointing down, the rear nostril set in a deep groove before the eye, and molar-like teeth on the sides of the jaws. Juveniles have a blackish spot at the end of the dorsal fin.

Biology

The barred pargo lives only in the tropical eastern Pacific, from southern Baja and the Gulf of California to Ecuador, including the Revillagigedo, Galápagos, Cocos and Malpelo islands. It is most common at 3 to 10 m but reaches at least 100 m. By day it shelters on rocky reefs; at night it comes out to hunt crustaceans and small fish. Juveniles can turn up in rocky tide pools.

Its diet also includes mollusks, sea urchins, sea stars and other bottom invertebrates, and it changes with the season, sex and breeding stage. In Santa Rosalía, B.C.S., females outnumbered males and fish spawned twice a year, in May and July. Catches there ranged from 28 to 69 cm.

Things you probably didn't know

One of a kind

Hoplopagrus has a single species. No other living fish shares its genus.

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A 32-million-year-old split

A dated family tree of snappers puts its split from the main Lutjanus group at about 32 million years ago. Its closest known relative is a fossil snapper from the late Eocene limestones of Florida.

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The urchin eater

Researchers from CICIMAR in La Paz studied its stomachs and found a star prey: the sea urchin Echinometra vanbrunti. It also eats crustaceans, mollusks and small fish.

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A snorkel on its snout

Its front nostril is a long tube that points down, and the rear nostril sits in a deep groove in front of the eye.

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Cabo’s former world records

IGFA’s retired records include all-tackle barred pargo from Cabo San Lucas (11 lb 10 oz, 1993) and Solmar Beach (21 lb 2 oz, 1994). The current record, 29 lb 12 oz, came from Puerto Peñasco in 2010.

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Two spawning peaks

In Santa Rosalía, barred pargo spawned in May and in July, and the average fish caught by local fishers was 42.5 cm long.

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Photos

Barred pargo, photo 1 (El Bajo, 23570 La Ribera) — Bill Levine · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Barred pargo, photo 2 (El Bajo, 23570 La Ribera) — Bill Levine · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Barred pargo, photo 3 (Los Cabos, BCS) — Bill Levine · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Barred pargo, photo 4 (La Paz, Baja California Sur) — Martin Purdy · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

Barred pargo, photo 5 (Manzanillo, MX-CL) — Alberto Alcalá · iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0

How it's caught in Los Cabos

Local reports from San José del Cabo mention barred pargo in every month of the year, most often in May and June. They come from rocky high spots, rock piles and shallow structure close to shore, mixed with leopard grouper, yellow snapper, amberjack and triggerfish. Local fleets have reported fish up to about 15 lb.

Anglers catch them on yo-yo jigs and on bait fished near the bottom: live sardines, caballitos or chunk bait, often drifting over shallow rocky reefs. Sport fishing is not allowed inside Cabo Pulmo National Park.

On the table

A prized food fish in Baja, valued for its flavor and texture. It is sold fresh, whole or filleted, and cooked fried, grilled, in caldo or as ceviche.

Rules, records & conservation

Daily limit (NOM-017-PESC-1994)	Up to 5 per angler per day, within the 10-fish total
IUCN Red List	Least Concern (assessed 2007, published 2010)
IGFA all-tackle record	29 lb 12 oz (13.49 kg), Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, 2010
IGFA listing	Listed by IGFA as “greenbar snapper”
Cabo Pulmo National Park	Sport fishing not allowed

Don't confuse it with

The Pacific dog snapper or pargo prieto (Lutjanus novemfasciatus) has simple, round nostrils, big fang-like front teeth, a pointed snout and bars that can fade in big fish, and it grows much larger. The Colorado snapper (Lutjanus colorado) is mostly dark red; only small ones may show dusky bars. Only the barred pargo has the tubular nostril and molar teeth.

How to tell Cabo’s groupers and snappers apart ›

Questions

Is barred pargo good to eat?

Yes. It’s one of the most valued food fish in Baja’s small-scale fisheries, sold fresh and cooked many ways.

Where do you catch barred pargo in Cabo?

On rocky reefs and structure close to shore, with yo-yo jigs or bait near the bottom. Local reports mention it year-round, most often in May and June.

Is barred pargo the same as pargo prieto?

No. Pargo prieto is the Pacific dog snapper, a Lutjanus with fang-like teeth and simple nostrils. The barred pargo is the only species in its own genus.