Reef, rock and wrecks

Hogfish

Lachnolaimus maximus

Hog snapper. Pig-snouted, pink, and the best thing to come off a reef on a spear.

What they like

  • 3–25 musual depth (they tolerate 1.5–60 m)
  • 22–30 °Cwater temperature they feed in
  • clear waterwater clarity
  • rough bottom, sloping edges, drop-offsbottom they hunt, in order
  • any tidetide
  • daylightlight

Sand and rubble patches between coral heads and ledges; the spearfisher's favourite, a slow bite on hook and line.

Season by region

Peak months, shaded. Outside them the species may still be around, just less reliably.

Florida and the Gulf
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Caribbean and Bahamas
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Bait and technique

Methods: spearfishing, bait.

Bait and lures: Live shrimp or fiddler crabs on a small hook right on the sand.

Technique: Free-dive the sand patches between coral heads; on rod and reel, light leader and a shrimp on the bottom.

Rules

Florida: Florida: 16 in fork length (Atlantic, Keys) / 14 in (Gulf), 1 per day Atlantic / 5 Gulf, Atlantic season May 1 - Oct 31. Verify with FWC.

Seasons, sizes and bag limits change every year and differ by zone. Check the current regulations before you keep anything.

Depth maps where hogfish live

Depth map preview of Bimini, Bahamas±0.67 m

Bahamas

Bimini, Bahamas

  • ±0.67 mtypical error
  • 1,990laser soundings checked
  • 74 km²of shallows

Updated 5 h ago

Preferences are expert estimates from the fisheries literature and angling practice, not measurements at your spot. The likelihoods on the maps are a planning aid, not a catch prediction.