A small, pink, big-eyed deep-water snapper that lives between 50 and 250 m from Canada to southern Brazil. It is caught from boats on bottom line, has good flesh and appears together with the other slope snappers.
The vermelho-voraz (wenchman, panchito voraz) is a small deep-water snapper of the western Atlantic, from Canada to North Carolina and from the Caribbean to Santa Catarina, according to FishBase. It is demersal, between 24 and 370 m, usually 50 to 250 m, and mainly eats small fish. It reaches 56 cm and 2 kg, but FishBase gives 20 cm as the common length, so most fish are small. It is sold fresh and rarely frozen, with good meat, in small-scale commercial fishing, and ciguatera has been reported. It has no established Brazilian name; we use "vermelho-voraz", based on the Spanish "panchito voraz".
fun facts
The scale rows on the back run parallel to the lateral line, a detail that separates the genera Pristipomoides and Etelis from Lutjanus.
In US rules for Puerto Rico, the species appears as wenchman on the list of reef fish.
In Mexico, FishBase records the names "huachinango navaja" and "voraz".
how to recognize it
identification
A slender snapper with large eyes, whose orbit almost touches the head profile, and a flat interorbital space. Back and flanks pink to reddish, belly pink to silvery-white; fins translucent to pink, with the tips of the caudal and dorsal fins yellowish. The scale rows on the back run parallel to the lateral line, as in the olhão, and do not slope diagonally as in Lutjanus. It lacks the saçupema's spot and the yellow lines of the carapitanga.
how wenchman fishing looks
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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.
Western Atlantic, from Canada to North Carolina (USA) and from the Caribbean Sea to Santa Catarina, according to FishBase. In Brazil it is a slope species.
Habitat: Outer shelf and slope bottoms (demersal species), from 24 to 370 m, usually 50 to 250 m.
coast
North CoastNortheast CoastSoutheast CoastSouth Coastshelfoceanic
calendar and clock
when to fish
best season
time of year
JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Fishable all year on the slope; what matters is a window of calm seas and moderate current, not the season.
best time of day
Any time. At 100 m or more, light matters little; current and boat drift decide the fishing.
weather, water and behavior
what affects the wenchman
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Stable bottom water; a cold front at the surface barely changes the fishing.
atmospheric pressure
Small effect; the problem with the front is rough seas.
moon
Little influence at this depth; the current is what counts.
rain
Little effect on the fish.
water level
Does not apply at sea. The equivalent is the bottom current.
noise
At this depth the boat's noise barely reaches the fish.
wind
Strong wind pulls the line off vertical. Prefer calm seas.
tide
Tidal current at the shelf edge helps gather the bait.
depth
Concentrated between 50 and 250 m, near the bottom.
deep-drop reel size 4/0 to 6/0 with 250 to 400 m of line, or electric
line
braid 40 to 65 lb
leader
fluorocarbon 50 to 80 lb, 2 m, with a dropper of two to three hooks
hook
circle hook 4/0 to 7/0
lures
bottom jig of 100 to 250 g
LED light above the leader
natural baits
squid strips
sardine pieces
shrimp
accessories
sinker of 200 to 500 g depending on the current
descender
luvas
tip from an angler
Vary the bait height over the first few meters above the bottom until you find the band where the fish feeds.
what the law says
rules for the wenchman
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). The IUCN rates it Least Concern (2011 assessment). We found no specific minimum size or federal Brazilian bag limit for the species.
Puerto Rico (federal waters): up to 5 per person per day
5 per person per day; 15 per boat with 3 or more people
In federal waters around Puerto Rico, beyond 9 miles from shore, a recreational angler may keep at most 5 fish per day, combining groupers, snappers and parrotfish (up to 15 per boat when there are 3 or more people aboard). The vermelho-voraz (wenchman) counts as a snapper toward this limit. The bag limit does not apply to anyone holding a commercial license from Puerto Rico or the Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico (federal waters): descent device mandatory on board
1 descent device ready for use by anyone fishing for or carrying reef fish
Anyone fishing for or carrying reef fish (the vermelho-voraz (wenchman) falls within the definition) in federal waters off Puerto Rico must have aboard, ready for use, at least one descending device: a tool able to return the fish to the depth where it was caught, with a minimum weight of 454 g (16 oz) and 18.3 m (60 ft) of line, which releases the fish on its own, by operator action or when it slips free at the bottom.
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, with at most 5 of the same species. The vermelho-voraz (huachinango navaja) is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlins, sailfish, swordfish, dorado, roosterfish and sábalo) and has no quota of its own. Fish over the limit are released alive, and sport-caught fish are for personal consumption, not for sale. Anyone fishing from a boat needs a Conapesca permit.
Colombia: AUNAP license and catch and release as the main practice
personal AUNAP license; keep only fish that meets the minimum size, for personal useconfirm with the agency
Colombian sport fishing requires the personal, non-transferable AUNAP license (natural persons, nationals or foreigners). The resolution sets catch and release as the main practice and only allows keeping specimens that meet the minimum sizes, for personal use. We found no specific minimum size or marine quota for this species; confirm with AUNAP before taking any fish home.
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.
If it comes up from 100 m or deeper, it arrives with barotrauma. If you are going to release it, use a descender and return the fish to the bottom without delay; in Puerto Rico the device is mandatory aboard.
in the kitchen
Good meat, sold fresh and rarely frozen; does well fried, grilled or in caldillo. There are reports of ciguatera in the species.
calculator
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01479, b = 2.96; 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.
