bar jack
Caranx ruber
A reef jack with a black stripe and an electric blue stripe on its back. Common in clear water around islands; it strikes small baits and gives a good fight on light tackle and fly.
Also called: xerelete-azul, garajuba, bar jack
- common size
- 25–45 cm
- maximum
- 73 cm
- common weight
- 0.5–2 kg
- record/max.
- 8.2 kg
- depth
- 0–35 m
- ideal water
- 24–29 °C
who is the bar jack
The xerelete-azul lives in the western Atlantic, from New Jersey and Bermuda to southern Brazil, and is most common in the Antilles. It prefers clear water around islands and coral reefs near the coast, usually down to about 22 m. It swims in schools, which may be spawning groups, or alone. It eats fish, shrimp and other invertebrates, and juveniles hide among drifting algae, like sargassum. Divers can approach it easily. For anglers it is a light-tackle fish: it takes spoons, small jigs, plugs, fly patterns and natural bait at reef edges. Large specimens have caused ciguatera.
fun facts
- Easy for divers to approach.
- Juveniles live among drifting algae, like sargassum.
identification
Elongated, compressed body, silvery to bluish gray. A black band along the base of the second dorsal fin runs down to the lower lobe of the tail, with an electric blue band just below it. No spot on the operculum. The common xerelete has a black spot on the operculum; the yellow jack has no black band.
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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
In Brazil, from the Northeast to the South, most common around clear-water islands and reefs.
Habitat: Clear-water coral reefs and rocky shores, mainly around islands; juveniles among drifting algae.
coast
states
Ceará, Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina
when to fish
best season
Found year-round where the water is clear and warm.
best time of day
Daytime. Active by day, with more movement in the first half of the morning and late afternoon.
what affects the bar jack
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.
cold and cold fronts
Warm-water fish; it disappears when the water cools.
atmospheric pressure
Little direct effect.
moon
Small effect.
rain
Murky rainwater hurts a fish that hunts by sight.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
Approaches stationary boats, but flees a high engine over the shallows.
wind
Strong wind muddies the shallows and makes light casting harder.
tide
Moving tide at the reef edge brings bait.
depth
From the shallows down to about 20 m.
how to fish
- rod
- 6'6" to 7', 8 to 17 lb; fly 7 to 8
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 2500 to 4000
- line
- braided line 10 to 20 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 20 to 30 lb, 1 m
- hook
- hook 1/0 to 2/0 or small treble hooks
lures
- spoon and jig 10 to 30 g
- midwater plug 7 to 9 cm
- shiny fly streamer
natural baits
- sardine or shrimp
accessories
- alicate
tip from an angler
In clear water, a fine leader and a small bait retrieved quickly produce more strikes.
rules for the bar jack
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 small, tough fish: remove the hook in the water whenever you can and release it quickly.
in the kitchen
Good fresh, fried or grilled. Large reef fish have already caused ciguatera.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01514, 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 ruber (ficha da espécie)Names, distribution, biology, length-weight relationship, country list and references. Page checked on Oct 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 ruber (avaliação nacional do risco de extinção)National assessment by ICMBio, published in 2023. DOI verified on Crossref.
- scientific IUCN Red List — Caranx ruber (avaliação global: Pouco Preocupante, LC, 20/08/2012)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.Chapter Carangidae (Smith-Vaniz, W. F.).
