barred grunt
Conodon nobilis
Yellow and dark striped fish from sandy beaches. It grunts when it leaves the water and bites hard at night in the surf zone.
Also called: roncador, coró, coró-listrado, coró-amarelo, canarinho
- common size
- 18–28 cm
- maximum
- 35 cm
- common weight
- 0.1–0.3 kg
- record/max.
- 0.4 kg
- depth
- 0.5–30 m
- ideal water
- 22–28 °C
who is the barred grunt
The barred grunt is a beach haemulid: it lives in the surf zone and on shallow sand and mud bottoms, from the Gulf of Mexico and the Antilles to southern Brazil. At night it leaves to hunt crustaceans and small fish close to the bottom, which is why it is one of the most common catches in night surf casting with shrimp and corrupto bait. It rarely exceeds 30 cm, but it fights well for its size. Like other haemulids, it makes a grunting sound when taken out of the water, grinding the pharyngeal teeth, with the swim bladder amplifying the sound. Artisanal fishing sells it fresh, and it is good for the pot.
fun facts
- The grunt comes from the pharyngeal teeth rubbing together, amplified by the swim bladder.
- Juveniles form schools in the surf zone.
identification
Elongated, sturdy body, yellowish to golden, with about eight wide dark vertical bands running down from the back; ventral and anal fins yellow. Strong serrated preopercle. Differs from the porkfish and the black margate by its more elongated body and vertical bands, not lengthwise stripes.
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.
where found
All along the Brazilian coast, on sandy beaches; common from the Northeast to the South.
Habitat: Sandy beaches in the surf zone, shallow channels and sand and mud bottoms near the coast.
coast
states
Amapá, Pará, Maranhão, Piauí, Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul
famous destinations
when to fish
best season
In the Southeast and South, the beach season is spring and summer; in the Northeast, all year.
best time of day
Nighttime. Hunts at night close to the bottom, in the surf zone and in beach channels.
what affects the barred grunt
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 makes the barred grunt disappear from the beach.
atmospheric pressure
A cold front shuts down biting.
moon
Dark nights tend to produce more.
rain
Rain doesn't hurt; surge does.
water level
Looks for the channels and trenches that form on the beach.
noise
Not very sensitive in the surf.
wind
Moderate choppy sea helps; strong surge makes fishing impossible.
tide
Best on the flood tide, when water covers the trenches.
depth
From the shoreline to about 3 m in the beach trenches.
how to fish
- rod
- 3.6 to 4.2 m, 80 to 150 g (surf casting)
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 4000 to 6000
- line
- monofilament 0.30 to 0.35 mm with shock leader
- leader
- monofilament 0.40 to 0.50 mm
- hook
- maruseigo 10 to 14 or chinu 2 to 4
natural baits
- shrimp
- corrupto
- tatuí (sand crab)
- sea worm (polychaete)
accessories
- pyramid sinker 60 to 120 g
- headlamp
tip from an angler
Cast into the darker trenches of the beach, which show up as strips without foam.
rules for the barred grunt
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.
Watch the serrated preopercle and the spines when holding it. Release it back into the surf zone.
in the kitchen
White, tasty meat, good fried whole or in broth.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01318, b = 2.99; 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 — Conodon nobilis (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship and references. Page checked on October 13, 2026.
- 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 Conodon nobilis (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)ICMBio national assessment, published in 2025. DOI checked on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Conodon nobilis (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 01/03/2011)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.Haemulidae chapter (Lindeman, K. C.), cited by FishBase for the species.
