blue runner
Caranx crysos
The small schooling blue runner. It hits micro jigs and is one of the best live baits in the sea.
Also called: xerelete, carapau (Sudeste), guarajuba (Nordeste), xarelete
- common size
- 25–40 cm
- maximum
- 70 cm
- common weight
- 0.3–1.5 kg
- record/max.
- 5.0 kg
- depth
- 1–100 m
- ideal water
- 22–28 °C
who is the blue runner
The blue runner, called carapau in the Southeast and guarajuba in the Northeast, is the small schooling jack. It lives along the whole coast, from beaches and rocky shores out to offshore reefs and oil platforms, in large schools that hunt small fish and crustaceans in midwater. It reaches 70 cm, but common ones are 25 to 40 cm. It hits micro jigs, spoons and light trolling lures quickly, and fights hard on light tackle. It is also one of the best live baits for olhete, greater amberjack, bluefish and bottom fish. Dark, tasty meat, good grilled or in escabeche, as long as it is bled right away.
fun facts
- Juveniles live under floating sargassum in open sea.
- On oil platforms it forms huge schools.
identification
Elongated body, not very deep for a jack, blue-green to olive back, silver to golden flanks, small dark spot at the top of the gill cover. Long row of strong bony scutes on the lateral line. Difference from the crevalle jack: the crevalle jack is taller, has a blunt head and has a black spot at the base of the pectoral fin. From bluefish: bluefish has no scutes.
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 coast, from beaches and bays out to the shelf and the oil platforms of the Campos and Santos Basins.
Habitat: Midwater over ledges, rocky shores, beaches, bays, offshore reefs, buoys and platforms.
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
when to fish
best season
In the South and Southeast, from late spring to autumn, with warm, blue water. In the Northeast, all year.
best time of day
Daytime. Active during the day, with schools hunting most in the morning and late afternoon.
what affects the blue runner
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 pulls schools off the coast in the South.
atmospheric pressure
Not very sensitive.
moon
Small effect.
rain
Not very relevant.
water level
Green, clean water helps; heavy surf muddies the water and scatters the schools.
noise
The school sinks with a motor overhead; approach from the side.
wind
Moderate wind doesn't hurt.
tide
With the tide running, schools stay at rocky points and inlet mouths, hunting bait carried by the current. At slack tide they roam more and scatter.
depth
Surface to 30 m inshore; deeper on the offshore reefs.
how to fish
- rod
- 6'6" to 7'0", 8 to 20 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 3000 to 4000
- line
- braided 15 to 20 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 25 to 30 lb
- hook
- hook 1 to 2/0; sabiki for bait
lures
- micro jig 15 to 40 g
- colher
- sabiki (for live bait)
- small trolling plug
natural baits
- sardine fillet
- shrimp
- squid strips
accessories
- aerated livewell to keep live bait
tip from an angler
For live bait, catch with a sabiki and keep in a well-aerated livewell; blue runners die fast in a still bucket.
rules for the blue runner
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 of threatened 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.
Release it quickly, head down in the water; watch the tail scutes.
in the kitchen
Dark, tasty meat; good grilled, fried or escabeche. Bleed it right away.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01622, b = 2.96; 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 — Caranx crysos (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 Caranx crysos (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National assessment by ICMBio, published in 2023. DOI verified on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Caranx crysos (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 04/02/2009)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.Chapter Carangidae (Smith-Vaniz, W. F.).
- 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 the marine species recorded in Brazil. Printed work; the URL is the bibliographic record in FishBase, which cites the catalogue for the species.
