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catalog Sparidae · predator

saucereye porgy

Calamus calamus

Sea

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.

Also called: peixe-pena-cálamo, peixe-pena, saucereye porgy, porgy

forecast for saucereye porgy where found
Scientific illustration of Saucereye porgy
common size
25–32 cm
maximum
56 cm
common weight
0.3–0.6 kg
record/max.
0.7 kg
depth
1–75 m
ideal water
24–29 °C
overview

who is the saucereye porgy

The peixe-pena-cálamo (Calamus calamus), the "saucereye porgy" of English-speaking anglers, lives from 1 to 75 m, from North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil. Adults often stay in coral areas; juveniles prefer sand bottoms with seagrass (Thalassia). It eats mollusks, worms, brittle stars, hermit crabs, crabs and sea urchins. FishBase says it lets anglers come close, and that it is sold fresh and frozen. It reaches 56 cm total length and is common at 30 cm. It is a reef-bottom fishing species of small commercial value, and there are reports of ciguatera with the species.

fun facts

  • The genus name comes from the Greek kalamos, "reed" or "cane," according to FishBase.
  • FishBase notes that the species lets divers come close, which makes it easy to see while diving.
  • Juveniles prefer seagrass and adults prefer corals: the fish changes habitat as it grows.
how to recognize it

identification

Tall, compressed body. The cheek is usually blue with yellow spots, and the blue scale markings are more linear than in other peixe-pena. There is no horizontal blue band above the gill cover opening, but a dark bluish spot is common just behind the top of that opening. It is confused with the peixe-pena (C. pennatula, vertical blue spots on the scales) and with the peixe-pena-bajonado (blue line under the eye and orange corner of the mouth).

how saucereye 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 North Carolina and Bermuda to Brazil. In Brazil, the species' latitude range (37°N to 33°S) would cover all four coasts, but the exact southern limit was not confirmed. In Latin America, FishBase lists Mexico, the Caribbean coast of Central America, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas and the Caribbean islands.

Habitat: Coral reefs (adults) and sand bottoms with seagrass (juveniles), from 1 to 75 m.

coast

North CoastNortheast CoastSoutheast CoastSouth 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 saucereye 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

FishBase says the fish lets you come close; even so, avoid bumping the hull.

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 1 to 75 m; adults on coral, juveniles in seagrass.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Natural bait on the bottomBottom fishing from a boat
rod
5'6" to 6'6", 8 to 20 lb
spinning / baitcasting reel
spinning reel 2500 to 4000
line
braided line 15 to 30 lb
leader
fluorocarbon 25 to 40 lb
hook
single hook 1 to 3/0, well sharpened

natural baits

  • shrimp
  • crab pieces
  • marisco
  • minhoca-do-mar
  • squid strips

accessories

  • alicate
  • ruler

tip from an angler

Small, well-secured bait, kept still near the coral or seagrass: the fish nibbles and steals soft bait. Set the hook on the second tug.

what the law says

rules for the saucereye 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: Not on the Brazilian national list (Portaria GM/MMA nº 1.667/2026). ICMBio published a national assessment profile in 2025; the category was not checked for this profile. We found no specific federal rule for the species.

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-cálamo 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.

Shallow-bottom fish: remove the hook with pliers and release it promptly. Its teeth and dorsal spines call for care when holding it.

in the kitchen

Sold fresh and frozen, according to FishBase. 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 = 0.02239, 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

—

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 calamus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology and IUCN status. Page checked on October 13, 2026. The published maximum weight (680 g) is much lower than the one predicted by the length-weight relationship for 56 cm (about 3 kg); we kept FishBase's values.
  2. scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Calamus calamusNames 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 calamus (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 calamus (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.

Sea
time of year
Illustration of Jolthead porgy
Sparidae

Jolthead porgy

Calamus bajonado

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.

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time of year
Illustration of Sheepshead
Sparidae

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
Sparidae

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.

Sea
time of yearbest: May–Aug