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catalog Sparidae · predator

jolthead porgy

Calamus bajonado

Sea

Sturdy porgy of reefs and sand bottoms with seagrass, with a blue line under each eye. Reaches 76 cm and over 10 kg, crushes sea urchins and crabs, and takes natural bait well on the bottom.

Also called: peixe-pena-bajonado, peixe-pena, jolthead porgy

forecast for jolthead porgy where found
Scientific illustration of Jolthead porgy
common size
35–55 cm
maximum
76 cm
common weight
0.9–3.2 kg
record/max.
10.6 kg
depth
3–200 m
ideal water
24–29 °C
overview

who is the jolthead porgy

The peixe-pena-bajonado (Calamus bajonado) is a tall, sturdy porgy with a convex head, living in coastal waters from 3 to 200 m, on sand bottoms with seagrass and, more often, on coral bottoms. It ranges from Rhode Island (USA), Bermuda and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil, and is most abundant in the Antilles. Large adults tend to be solitary. Molar teeth crush the food: FishBase records sea urchins (including Diadema), crabs and mollusks. It matures at about 36 cm, is common at 54 cm and reaches 76 cm and 10.6 kg. It is fished on a small commercial scale and in sport fishing, and FishBase calls it an excellent table fish; there are, however, reports of ciguatera.

fun facts

  • The genus name comes from the Greek kalamos, "reed" or "cane," according to FishBase.
  • Among its prey are sea urchins of the genus Diadema, with long spines, which the molar teeth crush.
  • In Spanish it is called "bajonado" in Cuba and Puerto Rico, "pluma" in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Puerto Rico, and "cachicachi" in Colombia.
how to recognize it

identification

Tall, compressed body, with a blue line under each eye and an orange tinge at the corner of the mouth and on the isthmus (the throat). The head profile is convex and slightly sloped. Inside the three normal rows of upper-jaw molars there is an irregular row of small molars. The dorsal fin has 12 spines and 12 soft rays; the anal fin, 3 spines and 10 soft rays. The peixe-pena (C. pennatula) has vertical blue spots on its scales; C. calamus has a blue face with yellow spots. The sargo-de-dente has broad black bands.

how jolthead porgy 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

According to FishBase, it ranges from Rhode Island (USA), Bermuda and the northern Gulf of Mexico to Brazil, and is most abundant in the Antilles. In Brazil, the species' latitude range (up to 18°S, at the far south of Bahia) covers the North and Northeast. In Latin America, FishBase lists Mexico, the Caribbean coast of Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas and the Caribbean islands.

Habitat: Coastal waters, on sand bottoms with seagrass and even more so on coral bottoms, from 3 to 200 m. Large adults tend to be solitary.

coast

North CoastNortheast Coastcoastalshelf
calendar and clock

when to fish

best season

time of year
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Resident fish, caught all year round. We found no seasonal calendar; the app's weights are estimates.

best time of day

0h6h12h18h sunrise ~6amsunset ~6pm

Daytime. Feeds by day, on reefs and sand bottoms. At night porgies tend to shelter; we found no specific study. Editorial estimate.

weather, water and behavior

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

cold and cold fronts

Warm-water fish (subtropical to tropical): cold water and a cold front slow fishing.

atmospheric pressure

A cold front with a choppy sea stops fishing for a day or two.

moon

Small effect; the moon matters more through the current.

rain

Heavy rain muddies coastal water and gets in the way.

water level

Does not apply at sea. The equivalent is the water clarity over the reefs.

noise

Large adults are wary; avoid noise from the hull over shallow bottom.

wind

Strong wind makes it hard to keep bait on the bottom and gives the boat drift.

tide

Tidal current brings food to reef edges; fish while the water is moving.

depth

From 3 to 200 m; the largest ones stay on the coral and in deeper bottoms.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Natural bait on the bottomBottom fishing from a boat
rod
6' to 7', 15 to 30 lb
spinning / baitcasting reel
spinning reel 4000 to 6000 or low-profile baitcasting reel
line
braid 30 to 50 lb
leader
fluorocarbon 40 to 60 lb
hook
single or circle hook 1/0 to 4/0, sturdy (the fish has crushing teeth and steals soft bait)

natural baits

  • shrimp
  • crab pieces
  • clam or mussel
  • lula
  • opened sea urchin

accessories

  • alicate
  • luvas
  • ruler
  • descender, for fish caught from deeper than 30 m

tip from an angler

Use bait that mimics its menu (crab, sea urchin, shellfish), firmly secured on the hook, and set firmly: its mouth is strong and it steals soft bait.

what the law says

rules for the jolthead porgy

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: It is not on the Brazilian national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026). ICMBio published a national assessment entry in 2025; the category was not checked for this entry. We found no specific federal rule for the species. FishBase gives it a high vulnerability to fishing (59 out of 100).

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 peixe-pena-bajonado is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlin, sailfish, swordfish, tarpon, roosterfish and dorado, up to 50 nautical miles from shore, item 0.3 of the rule) nor among those with their own limit (billfish, sharks, pescada, tarpon, dorado, roosterfish and baya), and it has no quota of its own. Fish above the limit must be returned alive to the water, and sport-caught fish may not be sold.

Source: Amendment to NOM-017-PESC-1994 (recreational sport fishing in federal waters of Mexico), signed Oct 14, 2013, items 0.3, 4.9.1, 4.9.5 and 4.11 (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.

Remove the hook with pliers and release it promptly. In shallow bottoms the fish handles release well; if it comes from more than 30 m it may arrive with barotrauma, and then a descender is advisable.

in the kitchen

FishBase calls it an excellent table fish. There are reports of ciguatera with the species: in reef areas, follow local health advice.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.0257, b = 2.93; 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), 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: Calamus bajonado (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Calamus bajonadoNames by country and language. FishBase gives no Portuguese name for the species; the name of this entry follows «peixe-pena», used in Brazil for the genus.
  3. 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 not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
  4. scientific IUCN Red List: Calamus bajonado (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 30/03/2011)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase profile (Red List, version 2025-2).
  5. official ICMBio/SALVE: Ficha de Calamus bajonado (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National assessment by ICMBio, published in 2025. DOI checked in Crossref on Oct 13, 2026; the assigned category was not checked for this profile.
  6. scientific Carpenter, K. E. (org.) (2002). The living marine resources of the Western Central Atlantic. Vol. 3: Bony fishes part 2 (Opistognathidae to Molidae). FAO Species Identification Guide for Fishery Purposes. Roma: FAO.Reference identification guide for the species' families in the western Atlantic. Index checked Oct 13, 2026.
  7. official DOF: Modificação da NOM-017-PESC-1994, para regular a pesca deportivo-recreativa em águas de jurisdição federal do MéxicoText signed Oct 14, 2013. Species reservation for sport fishing (item 0.3), daily quotas at sea (4.9.1), catch and release of the surplus (4.9.5) and a ban on selling the fish (4.11). Text checked Oct 13, 2026; the DOF publication date does not appear in the text consulted. The daily limit was confirmed only for Mexico; for other countries we did not confirm species-specific rules.
  8. official AUNAP (Colômbia): Resolução 0549 de 2022, lineamientos de ordenación pesquera para la pesca deportiva con fines recreativosWe checked, in a partial transcription of the text, what the rule says about the personal license (art. 6) and about "catch and release" as the premise, with retention for personal consumption only within minimum sizes (art. 8). We could not read the articles on the daily quota and minimum sizes, so those figures are left out.
  9. official 50 CFR § 622.444: Bag and possession limits (Plano de Manejo do EEZ de Porto Rico, subparte S)Checked on October 13, 2026 in the Cornell LII copy (87 FR 56217, of Sep 13, 2022, amended by 90 FR 26940, of Jun 25, 2025). The limit of 5 per person per day applies to the listed groups (groupers, parrotfish and snappers; angelfish, grunts, jacks, surgeonfish, hogfish and wrasses) and does not mention porgies, so we did not record a federal limit for the species in Puerto Rico. In St. Thomas and St. John (US Virgin Islands), § 622.519 includes porgies in the group with a 5-per-person-per-day limit; the Virgin Islands are not among the countries of this entry.
don't confuse

similar species

Illustration of Pluma porgy
Sparidae

Pluma porgy

Calamus pennatula

A deep-bodied, silvery sparid with blue reflections, from rock and sand bottoms of the Caribbean to Brazil. It eats crabs and shells and takes small natural bait well.

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time of year
Illustration of Saucereye porgy
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Saucereye porgy

Calamus calamus

Tall-bodied porgy of coral reefs and seagrass beds, with a blue face painted yellow. It eats mollusks, crabs and sea urchins and takes small natural bait on the bottom.

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Illustration of Sheepshead
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Sheepshead

Archosargus probatocephalus

The bait thief of the rocks and pilings. It has teeth like ours and requires a quick hookset.

SeaEstuary
time of yearbest: Mar–May and Aug–Nov
Illustration of Red porgy
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Red porgy

Pagrus pagrus

The red porgy (pargo) of the subtropical waters of the Southeast and South, pink and with strong teeth. A noble fish of the submerged reefs, with a stock that collapsed in the 1980s.

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time of yearbest: May–Aug