Eastern Pacific lookdown, tall, flattened and silvery, with a steep forehead. It moves in small schools near sandy bottoms, down to 50 m, and is good eating; it shows up now and then on the hook and in the cast net.
A relative of the Atlantic lookdowns, the Mexican jorobado lives in the eastern Pacific, from southern Baja California and the Gulf of California to Ecuador and Peru; STRI extends the range to Chile. It swims in small schools near the bottom, in shallow coastal waters and estuaries, from 1 to 50 m, over sand. It eats small squid, shrimp, polychaetes and small fish. It reaches about 38 to 42 cm and has little commercial importance; FishBase reports it is sold fresh or salted. In Los Cabos, Mexico, it is caught now and then before dawn with sabiki baited with squid, or taken in large cast nets and sold alive as bait for dorado, striped marlin and tuna. Local anglers rate it as excellent table fare.
fun facts
In Los Cabos, Mexico, the guide consulted says it is called pompano or tortilla.
Juveniles have huge filaments in front of the dorsal fin and on the pelvic fins, which disappear with age.
how to recognize it
identification
Pentagonal, very flattened body with a tall head and a steep, concave forehead and snout; silvery all over, so the body looks almost scaleless. In adults the lobes of the second dorsal and anal fins are long; in juveniles the first dorsal spines are very long, like threads, and the pelvic fins are long, becoming very short with age. There are no finlets behind the second dorsal and anal fins. Paraselene orstedii has a more oblique forehead and long pelvic fins; the Peruvian lookdown (Selene peruviana) has short dorsal and anal fins and no pelvic fins.
how hairfin lookdown fishing looks
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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.
Not found in Brazil. Eastern Pacific, from southern Baja California and the Gulf of California (Mexico) to Ecuador, according to FishBase; STRI extends it to Chile. FishBase lists Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.
Habitat: Sand bottoms in shallow coastal waters and estuaries, in small schools near the bottom, from 1 to 50 m.
calendar and clock
when to fish
best season
time of year
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Occurs all year. The app gives a little more weight to the warmer months, May to October.
best time of day
Dawn and dusk. The Mexican guide reports catches before dawn at Los Cabos, using sabiki baited with squid. Beyond that, studies are lacking; the app's estimate gives more weight to dawn and dusk.
weather, water and behavior
what affects the hairfin lookdown
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Cold water keeps the schools away from shallow waters.
atmospheric pressure
Rough sea from a strong front hurts beach and small-boat fishing.
moon
Small effect; the reported catches are from before dawn.
rain
Little effect; a river flowing muddy into the estuary scatters the fish.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
A school near the bottom gets spooked by a boat banging and a motor close by.
wind
Strong wind kicks up sand and makes it hard to control the line on the bottom.
tide
A light current at the mouth of estuaries concentrates the schools.
As the Mexican guide reports, sabiki baited with squid and fished at dawn, near the sandy bottom, produces the most; use a light sinker so the bait keeps moving.
what the law says
rules for the hairfin lookdown
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: Of little concern globally. Not listed in Mexico's NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010.
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 recreational sport fishing in Mexican federal waters, each angler may keep up to 10 marine fish per day, no more than 5 of the same species. The Mexican lookdown is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlin, sailfish, swordfish, "sábalo o chiro," 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 limit go back alive (item 4.9.5), and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Anglers fishing from a boat need the permits of the Federal Duties Law; anglers fishing from shore do not (item 4.3).
Personal Incopesca license, for people over 16confirm with the agency
In the regulation of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Law (Decree 36782, of May 24, 2011), art. 69, sport fishing is authorized only for natural persons over 16, with a license issued by Incopesca; tourists, whether national or foreign, also need the license. Art. 68 limits the landing of large pelagics to 5 per trip, and art. 66 promotes catch and release, but the rule sets no quota for this species. The decree was later amended (Decree 39458), so confirm the current rule with Incopesca.
Panama: new sport fishing decree in force from Dec 10, 2026
Executive Decree No. 9 (Jun 10, 2026), in force from Dec 10, 2026confirm with the agency
ARAP published Executive Decrees No. 9 and No. 10, of Jun 10, 2026, in the Official Gazette. The first regulates sport fishing throughout the territory; the second protects billfish (sailfish and marlins). Both take effect on Dec 10, 2026, after six months of adaptation. We did not verify the text: the press report gives no catch limits, sizes or license requirements. Before fishing in Panama, check with ARAP.
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 sport fishing for recreational purposes in Colombia. Anyone fishing needs a permit: for a natural person, Colombian or foreign, it is a personal, non-transferable license (art. 6). The rule uses "capture and release" as guidance. We did not verify the daily limit or the minimum sizes by species: check with AUNAP before keeping any fish.
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.
Tall, slender body with delicate skin: wet your hands, support the whole body and release it quickly; don't hold it by the filaments of the dorsal or anal fin.
in the kitchen
White flesh, considered excellent by Los Cabos fishermen; sold fresh or salted, according to FishBase.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01738, b = 2.81; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). 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), time of day and 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 field experience of anglers and guides. They are not official data or measurements made for this species, and may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the standard and a link. The common size starts from FishBase's common length (25 cm), and the common weight is calculated from the length-weight relationship.
technicalMexican Fish (mexican-fish.com): ficha do Mexican Lookdown (Selene brevoortii)Independent guide to Mexican Pacific fishes, with photos of catches and the author's observations; not an official source. Page checked on 13/10/2026. It gives the local names in Los Cabos, the catch with sabiki baited with squid, the use as live bait, and how to tell it apart from Paraselene orstedii and Selene peruviana.
