permit
Trachinotus falcatus
The permit: the largest of the pompanos, over 1 m and 20 kg. A trophy of shoals, channels, reefs, and wrecks, wary and with long runs.
Also called: sernambiguara, garabebéu, arabebéu, pampo-gigante, permit
- common size
- 50–90 cm
- maximum
- 122 cm
- common weight
- 2–12 kg
- record/max.
- 36.0 kg
- depth
- 0.5–36 m
- ideal water
- 24–29 °C
who is the permit
The sernambiguara is the largest jack in the pompano genus, known in fishing as permit. It lives in channels and holes on sand shoals, near reefs and wrecks and sometimes over mud, alone or in small groups; juveniles form schools in the surf of beaches in summer and tolerate brackish water. It eats mollusks, crabs, shrimp, and small fish. It is one of the hardest trophies on fly and light tackle: wary, with long runs. In Brazil it is caught in the Northeast and Southeast, on submerged reefs, wrecks, and beaches, with live siri and crab, jigs, and crab flies. The flesh is excellent, but releasing the big ones is good practice.
fun facts
- It is called permit in fly fishing, where it is one of the hardest trophies.
- It feeds with its body tilted, sometimes with its tail out of the water in shallow water.
identification
Deep, compressed, rounded body, silvery to blue-gray, with a broad orange-yellow patch on the belly in front of the anal fin (sometimes absent), dark pectoral fins, and long, dark, sickle-shaped dorsal and anal fin lobes. No scutes on the lateral line. Differs from the Florida pompano (T. carolinus) by its deeper body and much larger size, and from the galhudo pompano (T. goodei) by the lack of narrow vertical bars on the flank.
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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 the Northeast to São Paulo, on beaches, shoals, reefs, submerged reefs, and wrecks.
Habitat: Channels and holes on sand shoals, reefs, submerged reefs, and wrecks; juveniles in beach surf; down to about 35 m.
coast
states
Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo
famous destinations
when to fish
best season
In the Northeast it appears all year; in the Southeast, best in the warm months.
best time of day
Daytime. Feeds by day, especially with the rising tide over the shoals and at the drop-offs of submerged reefs.
what affects the permit
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Very sensitive to cold water.
atmospheric pressure
A cold front pushes fish off the shallows.
moon
Spring tides stir the shoals more and usually produce well.
rain
Murky water hurts sight fishing.
water level
It moves up onto the shoals with the rising tide.
noise
Extremely wary: a hull slapping and a nearby motor spook it.
wind
Strong wind ruffles the water and hurts sight fishing.
tide
Moving tide on the corners of submerged reefs and channels concentrates the fish.
depth
1 to 30 m; shallow on the shoals, deeper at the wrecks.
how to fish
- rod
- 7'0", 20 to 40 lb; fly #9 to #10
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 5000 to 8000
- line
- braid 30 to 50 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 40 to 60 lb, 1.5 m
- hook
- circle 3/0 to 6/0 on live bait; flies on 1/0 to 2/0 hooks
lures
- 40 to 120 g jigs
- crab flies with lead eyes
- 10 to 13 cm shads
natural baits
- live siri or crab
- live shrimp
- tatuí (sand crab)
accessories
- large passaguá
- alicate
tip from an angler
Hook the live siri through the tip of the shell and let it drift to the bottom near the structure. Don't lock the drag on the first run.
rules for the permit
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.
A long fight wears the fish out: revive it by holding it by the base of the tail, facing into the current, until it swims off on its own. If it came from a deep wreck, use a descending device.
in the kitchen
White, firm, excellent flesh; the young are great grilled over coals.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.02884, b = 2.86; FishBase (estimativa bayesiana por forma do corpo no gênero, 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 — Trachinotus falcatus (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 Trachinotus falcatus (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National assessment by ICMBio, published in 2023. DOI verified on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Trachinotus falcatus (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 21/08/2012)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.Carangidae chapter (Smith-Vaniz, W. F.), cited by FishBase for the species.
- scientific Szpilman, M. (2000). Peixes marinhos do Brasil: guia prático de identificação. Rio de Janeiro: Instituto Ecológico Aqualung. 288 p.Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record on FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
- scientific Menezes, N. A.; Buckup, P. A.; Figueiredo, J. L.; Moura, R. L. (orgs.) (2003). Catálogo das espécies de peixes marinhos do Brasil. São Paulo: Museu de Zoologia da USP. 160 p.List of marine species recorded in Brazil. Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record in FishBase, which cites this work for the species.
