green weakfish
Cynoscion virescens
Large weakfish over 1 m long, from the murky coastal waters of the North to São Paulo. Fights hard and has meat of excellent quality.
Also called: pescada-cambuçu, cambuçu, cambucu, pescada-real, pescada-cobra
- common size
- 40–70 cm
- maximum
- 115 cm
- common weight
- 0.6–3 kg
- record/max.
- 4.4 kg
- depth
- 2–70 m
- ideal water
- 24–29 °C
who is the green weakfish
The green weakfish (pescada-cambuçu) is one of the largest weakfish in the western Atlantic, reaching over 1 m. It lives on mud and sand bottoms in coastal waters near river mouths, from Nicaragua to the coast of São Paulo; juveniles grow up in estuaries. Adults stay deeper during the day and rise near the surface at night to hunt fish and shrimp. It is important for artisanal fishing in the North and Northeast, with gillnets and lines, and has excellent-quality meat; the swim bladder was once used to make glue. For recreational anglers, it is a hard-fighting fish in night boat fishing in channels, bays and along the coast, with live bait.
fun facts
- The swim bladder was once used to make glue.
- Adults rise near the surface at night to hunt.
identification
Elongated body, gray to brown on the back and silver below. Long soft dorsal fin (27 to 31 rays) with dark spots on each ray; pectoral, ventral and anal fins yellowish to orange; inside of the mouth orange. Large, oblique mouth with a pair of canines at the tip of the upper jaw. Differs from the Acoupa weakfish and the smooth weakfish by its longer, spotted soft dorsal fin.
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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.
where found
From Amapá to São Paulo, especially near river mouths and in bays with murky water.
Habitat: Murky coastal waters over mud and sand, near river mouths, in bays and channels; juveniles in estuaries.
coast
states
Amapá, Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo
famous destinations
when to fish
best season
Fished all year in the North and Northeast; in São Paulo, best in warm months.
best time of day
Nighttime. By day it stays on the bottom; at night it rises near the surface to hunt.
what affects the green weakfish
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 reduces activity at the southern limit.
atmospheric pressure
A cold front shuts down biting.
moon
Dark nights favor hunting near the surface.
rain
Likes murky water; rain doesn't hurt.
water level
High river water pushes juveniles out of the estuaries.
noise
Sensitive to motors and strong light near the spot.
wind
Strong wind gets in the way of night drift fishing.
tide
A running tide concentrates hunting at channel corners.
depth
From 5 to 30 m in most catches; shallower at night.
how to fish
- rod
- 6'6" to 7'0", 15 to 30 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 4000 to 5000 or high-profile baitcasting reel
- line
- braid 20 to 30 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon or monofilament 40 lb, 1 m
- hook
- circle 3/0 to 6/0
lures
- 10 to 15 cm shads
- 20 to 40 g jig head
natural baits
- live fish (parati, sardine)
- live shrimp
accessories
- large passaguá
- headlamp
tip from an angler
At night, fish with live bait at midwater in the channels on the flood; let the weakfish run before setting the circle hook.
rules for the green weakfish
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 national list (Portaria GM/MMA 1.667/2026). We found no specific federal rule for this species.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
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.
Use a passaguá, don't hang it by the jaw, and release it quickly; large weakfish suffer from handling out of the water.
in the kitchen
White meat of excellent quality, firm and tasty; good in steaks, fillets and moqueca.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00692, b = 3.05; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana, 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.
- scientific FishBase — Cynoscion virescens (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026. The maximum length (115 cm) and the published maximum weight (4.4 kg) come from different references cited by FishBase.
- 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)Most recent national list. The species is not on it (search by scientific name in the text published in the DOU, checked on October 13, 2026).
- official ICMBio/SALVE — Ficha de Cynoscion virescens (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)ICMBio national assessment, published in 2025. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Cynoscion virescens (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 15/01/2020)Global assessment. Link given on the FishBase entry (Red List, version 2025-2).
- 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.Sciaenidae chapter (Chao, N. L.), cited by FishBase for the species.
- scientific Cervigón, F. (1993). Los peces marinos de Venezuela. Vol. 2. Caracas: Fundación Científica Los Roques. 497 p.Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record on FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
