catalog Carangidae · forage fish

amberstripe scad

Decapterus muroadsi

Sea

Slender, cylindrical jack with a yellow stripe between two blue stripes, forming schools in open sea and near islands. Caught on sabiki and small jigs, and used as bait.

Also called: carapau-de-listra-âmbar, amberstripe scad, Mexican scad

forecast for amberstripe scad where found

Scientific illustration of Amberstripe scad

common size: 25–35 cm
maximum: 50 cm
common weight: 0.2–0.5 kg
record/max.: — kg
depth: 1–320 m
ideal water: 22–28 °C

overview

who is the amberstripe scad

Slender, cylindrical-bodied jack, widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific, from Japan and Hawaii to Australia and Easter Island. In the eastern Pacific, FishBase places it from the Gulf of California to Peru, while Robertson & Allen record it from southern California to the tip of Baja California, from Ecuador to Chile, and at the Revillagigedo and Galápagos islands. Adults are pelagic, in schools, both in oceanic waters and near the coast, from 1 to 320 m, and they eat mainly planktonic invertebrates. It is sold fresh, salted or dried and, like other jacks, serves as bait. For the angler it is a sabiki and small jig fish, in schools near islands and banks.

fun facts

FishBase records that it is often used as bait.
The yellow band between two blue bands on the flanks is the mark of its English name, amberstripe.

how to recognize it

identification

Slender, almost cylindrical body, blue to olive-green above and silvery-yellowish below, with a yellow band on the flanks between two blue bands. A small black spot on the upper corner of the gill cover. Lime-green fins, with the lower lobe of the tail dark and the upper one yellow-green. The dorsal and anal fins end in a detached finlet. Lateral line with 28 to 41 scutes in the straight part. An adipose eyelid covers the eye, with a slit in the middle. The bigeye scad (Selar crumenophthalmus) has much larger eyes.

how amberstripe scad 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

Does not occur in Brazil. Indo-Pacific: Japan, Hawaii, Australia, Easter Island. In the eastern Pacific, from the Gulf of California (FishBase) or southern California (Robertson & Allen) to Peru and Chile, with the Revillagigedo and Galápagos islands.

Habitat: Open sea and coastal waters, in schools near islands, banks and points, from 1 to 320 m.

calendar and clock

when to fish

best season

time of yearbest: Apr–Sep

JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Present all year. The presence of schools near islands and banks matters more than the month.

best time of day

Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Rises to the schools by day and at the end of the afternoon, when birds and predators push them to the surface.

weather, water and behavior

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

cold and cold fronts

Cold upwelling water moves the schools.

atmospheric pressure

Little direct effect.

moon

Small effect.

rain

Little effect in open sea.

water level

Not applicable at sea.

noise

A motor over the school sinks it.

wind

Rough sea makes it hard to find the school and use sabiki.

tide

Current near islands and banks concentrates the bait and the school.

depth

From the surface to about 40 m in sport fishing.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Jigging Natural bait with float Caniço (cane pole)

rod: 6' to 7', 8 to 15 lb
spinning / baitcasting reel: spinning reel 2000 to 3000
line: braided line 10 to 20 lb
leader: fluorocarbon 15 to 20 lb
hook: sabiki no. 6 to 10

lures

sabiki
micro jig, 10 to 30 g
colherinha

natural baits

small shrimp
squid strip

accessories

bucket with aerator (for live bait)
hand net
alicate

tip from an angler

When the birds dive, the school is close: lower the sabiki to the depth of the school and reel in slowly. To keep it as live bait, use a large bucket with circulating water.

what the law says

rules for the amberstripe scad

Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.

Mexico: up to 5 per species and 10 saltwater fish per day

5 specimens of the species per angler per day, within the limit of 10 saltwater fish

In federal waters of Mexico, recreational sport fishing allows each angler to keep up to 10 marine fish per day, no more than 5 of the same species. The amberstripe scad (carapau-de-listra-âmbar) is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlins, sailfish, swordfish, tarpon (sábalo), roosterfish and dorado, up to 50 nautical miles from shore, item 0.3 of the standard) and has no quota of its own. Fish over the quota must go back alive, and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Anyone fishing from a boat needs an individual permit; from shore, no.

Source: Amendment to NOM-017-PESC-1994 (recreational sport fishing in federal waters of Mexico), published in the DOF on Nov 25, 2013, items 0.3, 4.3, 4.9.1, 4.9.5, 4.11 and 4.14 (Sagarpa/Conapesca)

Colombia: AUNAP license and catch-and-release in sport fishing

Individual AUNAP license; catch-and-release guidanceconfirm with the agency

AUNAP Resolution 0549 of 2022 sets the guidelines for recreational sport fishing in Colombia. Anglers need a permit: for an individual, Colombian or foreign, it is a personal, non-transferable card. The rule makes "catch and release" the guidance and admits keeping only part of the catch for personal consumption, respecting the minimum sizes it sets. We did not confirm the daily limit or the minimum sizes by species: check with AUNAP before keeping fish.

Source: Resolución AUNAP 0549 of 2022 (fishing management guidelines for sport fishing for recreational purposes), arts. 6 and 8; Official Gazette of Mar 25, 2022

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.

Delicate fish with loose scales: wet your hands and release it quickly if you won't use it.

in the kitchen

Sold fresh, salted or dried; like other jacks, good fried or baked whole.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

total length (cm)

Length-weight relationship W = a·L^b (a = 0.01202, b = 2.98; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.

estimated weight

—

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.

scientific FishBase: Decapterus muroadsi (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Decapterus muroadsiNames by country and language.
scientific Robertson, D. R. & Allen, G. R. (2024). Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system, versão 3.0. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Decapterus muroadsiDescription, colors, size, depth and distribution in the eastern Pacific. Page checked Oct 13, 2026. Description, colors, size (55 cm) and depth of 0 to 30 m. The authors record the species in the eastern Pacific, from southern California to the tip of Baja California, from Ecuador to Chile and in oceanic islands, without mentioning the mainland coast of Central America; so its presence in the listed countries (Guatemala to Panama) follows FishBase and may be rare near the coast.
official DOF: Modificação da NOM-017-PESC-1994, para regular a pesca deportivo-recreativa em águas de jurisdição federal do México (publicada em 25/11/2013)Reserves species for sport fishing (item 0.3), permits (4.3 and 4.14), rods and hooks (4.6), bait (4.7), daily limits at sea (4.9.1) and in fresh water (4.9.2), catch and release (4.9.5), closed zones and seasons (4.10), and a ban on selling the catch (4.11). Text checked on Oct 13, 2026; the publication date (Nov 25, 2013) comes from Secretaría de Economía rules that cite the amendment.
official AUNAP (Colômbia): Resolução 0549 de 2022, lineamientos de ordenación pesquera para la pesca deportiva con fines recreativosWe reviewed, in a partial transcript of the text, what the rule says about the personal license (art. 6) and the catch-and-release guidance (arts. 8 to 10). We could not read the articles on the daily bag limit and minimum sizes; the draft rule provided for a personal-consumption limit that AUNAP said it would revise, so those figures are left out.

don't confuse

similar species

Carangidae

Bigeye scad

Selar crumenophthalmus

A small fish with huge eyes that moves in compact schools near islands and rocky coasts. It is one of the most used live baits for seriolas, mackerel, tunas and dorado.

Sea

time of year

Carangidae

Chilean jack mackerel

Trachurus murphyi

The South Pacific jack mackerel, the base of one of the world's largest fisheries. It comes to schools near the piers and rocks of Chile and Peru and takes jigs, sabiki and natural bait.

Sea

time of yearbest: Nov–Mar

Carangidae

Mackerel scad

Decapterus macarellus

Small, slender schooling carangid that lives in blue water near islands and reef edges. It is worth more as live bait or in strips than as a sport fish.

Sea

time of year