Saltwater
Mottled Grouper
Mycteroperca rubra
Hebrew name: לוקוס אירדי
- Peak season
- Late spring through autumn
- Length range
- 30–145 cm
- Weight range
- 1–30 kg
- Typical depth
- 5–200 m
Minimum size: 40 cm1
Closed to fishing: May 1–June 30, 2026, Mediterranean spawning season2
Measured from the tip of the mouth to the tip of the tail, fish lying flat. Release anything shorter at once.
- 1 Per Fisheries Regulations, 1937, First Addendum, January 7, 2025
- 2 Per Israel Nature and Parks Authority: fishing restrictions in the Mediterranean spawning and recruitment seasons, April 28, 2026
Habitat
Rocky bottoms and reefs from 5–200m in eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. Less common than Dusky Grouper but caught regularly.
Behavior
Reef-dwelling ambush predator. Reddish-brown body with irregular pale mottling and a serrated, comb-like preopercle edge.
Best techniques
- Live bait near rocky structure
- Slow-pitch jigging
- Bottom fishing with cut squid
- Soft plastics on jig heads
