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catalog Megalopidae · predator

tarpon

Megalops atlanticus

EstuarySeanational list: VU · vulnerable

The 'silver king': over 2 m, jumps non-stop and breathes air. Vulnerable species: fishing for it is prohibited in Brazil.

Also called: camurupim, pirapema (Norte), tarpon

forecast for tarpon where found
Scientific illustration of Tarpon
common size
100–170 cm
maximum
250 cm
common weight
15–50 kg
record/max.
160.0 kg
depth
1–30 m
ideal water
26–31 °C
overview

who is the tarpon

The tarpon (camurupim), called pirapema in the North, is the 'silver king': an ancient-lineage fish over 2 m and 100 kg that jumps several times when hooked. It lives in estuaries, deltas, mangrove channels and beach shores in the North and Northeast, notably the coast of Maranhão, the Parnaíba delta and Ceará. It has a swim bladder that works as a lung: it rises to the surface to gulp air, which lets it live in warm, oxygen-poor water, and it gives away its presence with the 'rolling'. Juveniles stay in mangrove lagoons and igarapés. It is listed nationally as Vulnerable and catching it is prohibited: if it is hooked, the only option is to release it at once.

fun facts

  • Breathes atmospheric air through its swim bladder: it can live in water with almost no oxygen.
  • The larva is transparent and flattened (leptocephalus), like an eel's.
  • It can live more than 50 years.
how to recognize it

identification

Enormous silvery scales like a mirror, mouth turned up with a projecting lower jaw and a bony plate in the throat, and the last dorsal ray extended into a long filament. No other fish on the coast shares all three traits. The ladyfish (Elops) resembles the juvenile, but it is slender, has small scales, a terminal mouth and no filament.

how tarpon fishing looks

Loading the next 7 days…

Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

From Amapá to Bahia, with the greatest concentrations in Maranhão, the Parnaíba delta (PI/MA), Ceará and Pará. It appears less often in Espírito Santo; further south it is rare.

Habitat: Estuaries, deltas, channels and mangrove lagoons, river mouths, beach shores and warm-water harbours.

native to the basins

Western Northeast AtlanticParnaíbaEastern Northeast Atlantic

coast

North CoastNortheast CoastSoutheast Coastcoastal

states

Amapá, Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo

calendar and clock

when to fish

best season

time of yearbest: Aug–Jan
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

In Maranhão and Piauí the most cited season is the dry season, August to January, with clearer water and fish concentrated in channels and river mouths. In the rains they spread through the igarapés. It varies a lot from one estuary to another.

best time of day

0h6h12h18h sunrise ~6amsunset ~6pm

Dawn and dusk. Rolls and feeds mostly at dawn, dusk and at night. On cloudy days it stays active for longer.

weather, water and behavior

what affects the tarpon
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.

cold and cold fronts

Very sensitive to cold water: below 20 °C it stops feeding, and intense cold can kill it.

atmospheric pressure

Stable weather favors it. A bad-weather front usually clears the surface.

moon

Big-tide moons move more bait in the channels and often produce more.

rain

Light rain doesn't bother it. Thunderstorm with lightning over the open estuary: get out.

water level

In floods, fresh water pushes the fish toward the inlet; in drought it moves up channels and igarapés.

noise

It gets wary when the engine is near the rolling school. Approach with an electric motor or drift.

wind

Strong wind ruffles the water and hides the rolling, which is how you find the fish.

tide

It likes moving water. On the rising tide it enters the channels and mangrove lagoons after mullet and shrimp; on the falling tide it stays at the mouths and corners waiting for bait to come out. At slack water it rolls more and eats less.

depth

Surface down to 6 m most of the time; uses holes of 8 to 15 m in the channels.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Mid-water castingSurface castingFly fishingNatural bait with float
rod
7'0", medium-fast action, 30 to 60 lb for adults; 10 to 20 lb for mangrove juveniles
spinning / baitcasting reel
6000 to 8000 spinning reel or 300 to 400 baitcaster with plenty of line
line
braided line 50 to 80 lb
leader
monofilament or fluorocarbon 80 to 100 lb, 1 to 1.5 m (rough mouth)
hook
circle 6/0 to 9/0 for natural bait; swap treble hooks for a single barbless hook

lures

  • large mid-water minnow 12 to 15 cm
  • jig head 1 to 2 oz with 5 to 7 inch shad
  • zara
  • fly streamers, 2/0 to 4/0

natural baits

  • live mullet or parati
  • live sardine

accessories

  • long-nose pliers
  • luvas
  • camera ready: release it in the water

tip from an angler

Catch and release only. If a tarpon hooks up, let it jump with the rod low ('bowing to the king') and end the fight quickly, so you can release it strongly. Don't bring a large fish aboard.

guide

fly fishing in brazil: first steps

How to choose gear by its number, rig the backing, line, leader and tippet, make a basic cast, and which flies to use for peacock bass, golden dorado and snook.
what the law says

rules for the tarpon

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
Conservation: Fishing for it is prohibited across Brazil.

Threatened species: fishing prohibited

catching, transport, holding and trade prohibited

The tarpon is on the national list as Vulnerable (VU). Catching, transporting, storing, processing and selling it are prohibited. A fish hooked by accident must be released alive at once. There is no recovery plan authorizing its use; targeted fishing, even with release, has no express authorization: confirm with the environmental agency before organizing any fishing trip focused on the species.

Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026 (list, VU) and Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (art. 3º)

Tarpon (camurupim): threatened species, catch and release only

North CoastNortheast CoastSoutheast CoastSouth Coast

Megalops atlanticus is listed as Vulnerable on the national list (Portaria MMA 148/2022 and Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026), with no published use plan. Catching, keeping and transport are prohibited. Release the fish alive, preferably without lifting it out of the water.

Source: Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.666/2026 (art. 3º) and nº 1.667/2026

catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.

Keep the fish in the water the whole time. Remove the hook with pliers; don't use a lip grip on a large fish. Hold it by the lower jaw with a glove and move it slowly so water passes over the gills until it swims off on its own.

in the kitchen

Fishing prohibited. Traditionally the meat is considered inferior quality, dark and full of bones.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01023, b = 3.02; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana por forma da família, comprimento total)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

estimated weight

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sources and references

The season weights (months), the time of day and the sensitivities (cold, pressure, moon, wind, rain, tide, strong light, murky water and noise) are the app's editorial estimates, based on the literature below and on the field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data nor a measurement made for this species, and they may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the norm and a link.

  1. scientific FishBase — Megalops atlanticus (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026.
  2. official Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667, de 27 de abril de 2026 — Lista Nacional Oficial de Espécies da Fauna Ameaçadas de Extinção (peixes e invertebrados aquáticos)The species is listed as VU (checked in the text published in the DOU of April 28, 2026, section 1, p. 96).
  3. official ICMBio/SALVE — Ficha de Megalops atlanticus (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National assessment by ICMBio, published in 2024. DOI verified on Crossref.
  4. scientific IUCN Red List — Megalops atlanticus (avaliação global: Vulnerável, VU, 12/06/2018)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
  5. scientific Carvalho-Filho, A. (1999). Peixes: costa brasileira. 3ª ed. São Paulo: Melro. 320 p.Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record on FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
  6. scientific Menezes, N. A.; Buckup, P. A.; Figueiredo, J. L.; Moura, R. L. (orgs.) (2003). Catálogo das espécies de peixes marinhos do Brasil. São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia da USP. 160 p.List of the marine species recorded in Brazil. Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record in FishBase, which cites the catalogue for the species.