catalog Carangidae · predator

yellowfin jack

Hemicaranx leucurus

EstuarySea

Small oval jack with yellow fins that forms schools over soft bottoms and in brackish water in the eastern Pacific. Takes small bait and is good fried.

Also called: xerelete-de-nadadeira-amarela, yellowfin jack

forecast for yellowfin jack where found

Scientific illustration of Yellowfin jack

common size: 18–30 cm
maximum: 50 cm
common weight: 0.1–0.2 kg
record/max.: — kg
depth: 0–30 m
ideal water: 24–30 °C

overview

who is the yellowfin jack

Small oval-bodied carangid of the eastern Pacific, from southern Baja California and the Gulf of California to Ecuador, with records in Peru. It forms schools over soft bottoms near shore, from 0 to about 30 m, and enters brackish water. It reaches about 30 cm according to Robertson & Allen and up to 49.5 cm according to FishBase, with the common size around 25 cm. It is sold fresh, salted or dried, and FishBase classifies it as a sport fish of little commercial importance. For shore, pier and boat anglers it is an occasional fish: it turns up in numbers and takes small natural bait and small jigs.

fun facts

Juveniles have 6 to 9 dark bars that fade with age.
In Nicaragua and Peru it goes by names such as cocinero con bandas and cocinero ñato, similar to those of the green jack.

how to recognize it

identification

Oval, moderately compressed body in adults, dark blue on top and silver on the flanks and belly. Black spot at the base of the pectoral fin; fins yellowish to orange-yellow, with the tail and dorsal narrowly edged in black. Long, sickle-shaped pectorals that reach past the origin of the anal fin; 50 to 58 scutes on the straight part of the lateral line. Juveniles have 6 to 9 dark bars. It is told apart from the green jack (Caranx caballus) by its more oval body and yellow fins.

how yellowfin jack 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.

distribution

where found

open on the large map

Does not occur in Brazil. Eastern Pacific: from southern Baja California and the Gulf of California to Ecuador, with records in Peru.

Habitat: Soft bottoms near shore, bays and brackish water, from 0 to about 30 m.

calendar and clock

when to fish

best season

time of yearbest: Apr–Oct

JanFebSeaAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Fished all year. Clear water and a bait school near the beach count for more than the month.

best time of day

Daytime, with peaks at dawn and dusk. Feeds by day, in schools close to the bottom or in midwater; peaks at dawn and late afternoon.

weather, water and behavior

what affects the yellowfin jack
sensitivity The little bars show how much each factor affects this species. Five full: it feels it a lot.

cold and cold fronts

Cold upwelling water pushes the schools away.

atmospheric pressure

Little direct effect.

moon

Small effect.

rain

Heavy rain muddies the water in bays and estuaries and drives the fish away.

water level

Not applicable at sea.

noise

Not very sensitive when the school is feeding.

wind

Strong wind makes casting light lures difficult.

tide

Tide stirring the water in channels and bay mouths concentrates the schools.

depth

From 0 to 15 m, near the bottom or in midwater.

technique, gear and bait

how to fish

Natural bait on the bottom Beach fishing Caniço (cane pole)Jigging

rod: 6' to 7', 6 to 15 lb; 3 to 4 m cane pole on the pier
spinning / baitcasting reel: spinning reel 2000 to 3000
line: braided line 10 to 20 lb or monofilament 0.25 to 0.30 mm
leader: fluorocarbon 15 to 25 lb, 60 cm
hook: size 4 to 1/0

lures

metal jig 10 to 30 g
sabiki

natural baits

small shrimp
squid strip
pieces of sardine

accessories

alicate
bucket with ice

tip from an angler

Small hook and bait in small pieces: the fish nibbles before swallowing. Once you find a school, you can catch a good number.

what the law says

rules for the yellowfin 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.

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, no more than 5 of the same species. The yellowfin jack is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlin, sailfish, swordfish, sábalo, roosterfish and dorado, up to 50 nautical miles from shore, item 0.3 of the regulation) and has no bag limit of its own. Fish over the limit go back alive to the water, and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Anglers fishing from a boat need an individual permit; from the shore, they do not.

Source: Amendment to NOM-017-PESC-1994 (recreational sport fishing in federal waters of Mexico), published in the DOF on Nov 25, 2013, items 0.3, 4.3, 4.9.1, 4.9.5, 4.11 and 4.14 (Sagarpa/Conapesca)

Colombia: AUNAP license and catch-and-release in sport fishing

Individual AUNAP license; catch-and-release guidanceconfirm with the agency

AUNAP Resolution 0549 of 2022 sets the guidelines for recreational sport fishing in Colombia. Anglers need a permit: for an individual, Colombian or foreign, it is a personal, non-transferable card. The rule makes "catch and release" the guidance and admits keeping only part of the catch for personal consumption, respecting the minimum sizes it sets. We did not confirm the daily limit or the minimum sizes by species: check with AUNAP before keeping fish.

Source: Resolución AUNAP 0549 of 2022 (fishing management guidelines for sport fishing for recreational purposes), arts. 6 and 8; Official Gazette of Mar 25, 2022

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.

Wet your hands, take the hook out with pliers and release it quickly. Small, delicate fish.

in the kitchen

Sold fresh, salted or dried; it goes well fried whole.

calculator

how much it weighs without taking it out of the water

total length (cm)

Length-weight relationship W = a·L^b (a = 0.01047, b = 2.87; 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

—

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: Hemicaranx leucurus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Hemicaranx leucurusNames by country and language.
scientific Robertson, D. R. & Allen, G. R. (2024). Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system, versão 3.0. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Hemicaranx leucurusDescription, colors, size, depth and distribution in the eastern Pacific. Page checked Oct 13, 2026. Cites a length of up to 30 cm and a depth of 0 to 30 m; we kept FishBase's 49.5 cm as the published maximum.
official DOF: Modificação da NOM-017-PESC-1994, para regular a pesca deportivo-recreativa em águas de jurisdição federal do México (publicada em 25/11/2013)Reserves species for sport fishing (item 0.3), permits (4.3 and 4.14), rods and hooks (4.6), bait (4.7), daily limits at sea (4.9.1) and in fresh water (4.9.2), catch and release (4.9.5), closed zones and seasons (4.10), and a ban on selling the catch (4.11). Text checked on Oct 13, 2026; the publication date (Nov 25, 2013) comes from Secretaría de Economía rules that cite the amendment.
official AUNAP (Colômbia): Resolução 0549 de 2022, lineamientos de ordenación pesquera para la pesca deportiva con fines recreativosWe reviewed, in a partial transcript of the text, what the rule says about the personal license (art. 6) and the catch-and-release guidance (arts. 8 to 10). We could not read the articles on the daily bag limit and minimum sizes; the draft rule provided for a personal-consumption limit that AUNAP said it would revise, so those figures are left out.

don't confuse

similar species

Carangidae

Green jack

Caranx caballus

Schooling jack of the eastern Pacific, slender, olive green on top and silver below. Fast and easy to find, it takes small jigs and natural bait. In some places it is already overfished.

EstuarySea

time of yearbest: Mar–Oct

Carangidae

Pacific crevalle jack

Caranx caninus

The Pacific crevalle jack: strong schooling fish that explode on poppers from Mexico to Peru. Many authors consider it the same species as the Atlantic crevalle jack.

SeaEstuary

time of yearbest: Mar–Oct