the right time
to be on the water
Choose the place and the species. The index, from 0 to 100, combines weather, sun, moon and tide with each fish's habits. Up to 28 days, with each day's confidence.
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hour by hour
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why this index at —?
choose the day
the fishing month at a glance
what's the best window for the crew?
Choose how many fishing days. We compare each stretch by its average index, discount days with a warning or closed season, and show the 3 best.
trend for the coming weeks
Line: the middle value of 31 simulations of the American GEFS model. Band: where 8 out of 10 fall. Narrow, firm trend; wide, high uncertainty.
everything about the gulf hake
how to recognize it
Elongated, rounded body with no spines in the fins. The most useful sign is the very short chin barbel, absent in many specimens, along with a dark, diffuse blotch on the operculum. The pelvic fins become long rays, as in the other abróteas. On the first gill arch, the upper limb carries 2 or 3 gill rakers. The abrótea (Urophycis brasiliensis) lives in shallower southern waters, usually 20 to 190 m; the Gulf hake prefers the mud bottom of the slope.
Also called: abrótea-do-golfo, abrótea, Gulf hake, Brazilian codling
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Mud bottoms on the slope, usually 360 to 470 m (recorded from 27 to 684 m).
Western Atlantic: Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and the northern coast of South America as far as the Orinoco, and perhaps as far as Rio de Janeiro. In Latin America it occurs in Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago and the Guianas. FishBase's country list also includes Argentina and Uruguay, but the distribution text does not extend that far south: treat these records with caution. In Brazil it occurs from the North to the Southeast, on the slope.
coast
when to fish
best season
No known season in the sources consulted. Fishing depends on the sea and the current, not on the season.
best time of day
Any time. No sunlight reaches the slope, and the sources give no peak time of day. Choose the day by calm seas, which keep the boat still over the spot.
what affects the gulf hake
cold and cold fronts
At 400 m the water is cold and stable all year; surface weather does not change that.
atmospheric pressure
Little documented effect; what matters is rough seas after a cold front.
moon
Little effect on the slope.
rain
No direct effect on the bottom.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
Deep-water fish, little sensitive to boat noise.
wind
Strong wind pulls the boat off the spot and leaves the line slanted, which gets in the way a lot at 400 m.
tide
Strong current calls for a much heavier sinker and makes it hard to feel the bottom.
depth
360 to 470 m for most catches, over mud bottom.
how to fish
natural baits
- lula
- sardinha
- fish fillet
tip from an angler
Drop fast with the heavy sinker and let the bait rest on the mud bottom; the bite is light.
- rod
- short, strong rod of 50 to 80 lb, for deep-water fishing
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- electric reel with 600 m or more of line
- line
- braided line 80 to 130 lb
- leader
- monofilament 100 lb
- hook
- circle 7/0 to 10/0
accessories
- 1 to 2 kg sinker
- descender or bottom-fish release tool
catch and release
It comes from 360 to 470 m and almost never survives decompression. Keep only what you plan to eat, because releasing a swollen fish rarely works.
rules for the gulf hake
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 details
In sport and recreational 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 Gulf hake has no species-specific limit (billfish, sharks, giant seatrout, tarpon, dorado, roosterfish and baya are the ones listed). Fish over the bag limit must go back alive, and sport-caught fish may not be sold. Fishing from a boat requires a permit, and sport fishing is banned in closed zones and seasons.
Conservation: Not on the Brazilian national list (Ministerial Ordinance GM/MMA No. 1.667/2026).
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
estimated weight
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how we calculate
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00447, b = 3.15; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
more about the gulf hake
The Gulf hake, called merluza barbona del Golfo in Mexico, is a fish of the family Phycidae, a relative of the abrótea from southern Brazil. It lives on mud bottoms on the slope, usually between 360 and 470 m, although it has been recorded from 27 to 684 m, and it does not make long migrations. It occurs in the western Atlantic, from Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to northern South America as far as the Orinoco, and may reach Rio de Janeiro. It grows to 66 cm and 2.5 kg and can live 14 years. FishBase classifies it as a species of potential interest for fishing. For sport anglers it is a deep-water fish that rarely reaches the hook except on trips with an electric reel.
Family: Phycidae · predator
fun facts
- It can live 14 years, according to FishBase, and it hardly migrates.
- The names Gulf hake and merluza barbona del Golfo refer to the Gulf of Mexico, the core of its range.
- FishBase's country list includes Argentina and Uruguay, but the distribution text only reaches northern South America and, perhaps, Rio de Janeiro.
in the kitchen
No traditional use is documented in the sources consulted. Close relatives, such as the abrótea, have white, soft flesh; bleed it, ice it and eat it fresh.
similar species
sources and references (4)
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 field experience from anglers and guides. They are not official data or measurements made for this species and may vary by region and year. Closed seasons and legal rules appear in the rules section, with the rule and link. The fishing depth range, the common size and the ideal water temperature range, when FishBase does not give a value, are editorial estimates based on the species' biology.
- scientific FishBase: Urophycis cirrata (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Urophycis cirrataNames by country and language. The name abrótea-do-golfo was adopted in this profile from the Spanish (merluza barbona del Golfo) and English (Gulf hake) names.
- 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)The species is not on the list. Checked in the DOU of April 28, 2026.
- official NOM-017-PESC-1994, Para regular las actividades de pesca deportivo-recreativa en las aguas de jurisdicción federal de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos (modificação de 2013)Daily limit of 10 marine fish and 5 per species (item 4.9.1), return of the excess (4.9.5), closed seasons (4.10) and sales ban (4.11). Text checked in the DOF on Oct 13, 2026.
how we calculatewhere each number comes from
The weather comes from three independent global models, cross-checked hour by hour: when they agree, confidence goes up; when they diverge, the band between them shows on the chart. Beyond 16 days, we use the GEFS ensemble of 31 simulations: if 20 of the 31 predict rain, the chance of rain is 65%. Sun and moon are calculated astronomically, with no uncertainty.
The index adds up, weighted for each species: time of day (species curve anchored to real sunrise and sunset), moon (transits, rise and set, phase), pressure (3 h trend and 24 h swing), water temperature (in rivers, estimated from air temperature; at sea, estimated by an ocean model), wind, rain, clouds, tide and the month in the species' cycle.
sources for this lookup
how accurate the forecast is
Accuracy measured in the reference project (4 regions, 93 days, forecast vs. observed): maximum temperature is off by 0.6 °C on average the next day and 1.7 °C at 7 days; rain of 5 mm or more is detected 76% of the time the next day and 57% at 7 days. Detection isn't everything: the false alarm rate isn't published here yet, and 93 days in 4 regions is still a small sample. We now also measure every day, at the app's destinations: