california sheephead
Bodianus pulcher · Labridae · predator
Large wrasse of reefs and kelp forests in the eastern Pacific. It has large teeth that cause serious bites, and white flesh sold fresh.
Also called: bodião-carneiro, vieja californiana, vieja de California, california sheephead
- maximum
- 91 cm
- record/max.
- 16.0 kg
- depth
- 3–30 m
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.
Reading the weather across 3 global models and 31 simulations…
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hour by hour
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
why this index at —?
choose the day
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.
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 california sheephead
who is the california sheephead
The California sheephead is of the family Labridae, the wrasses. It reaches 91 cm and weighs up to 16 kg. It lives in the eastern Pacific, from Monterey Bay, California, to Cabo San Lucas, in southern Baja California, and in the Gulf of California. It prefers rocky bottoms, especially in kelp forests, generally from 3 to 30 m deep. It eats sea urchins, mollusks, lobsters and crabs. It is taken in sport and commercial fishing.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the california sheephead; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Individuals start as females and become males at about 30 cm.
- The maximum recorded age is 53 years.
identification
Spindle-shaped body, with large, protruding canine teeth and a white chin in both sexes. Males, which are larger, have black heads and tails, a broad orange-red belly and a fleshy bump on the forehead; females are silvery or pinkish and dull, with a white belly. It can be confused with Bodianus diplotaenia, which ranges from the Gulf of California to Chile and has a narrow yellow band behind the base of the pectoral fin in very large adults. The California sheephead does not go beyond southern Baja California.
where found
Found in the eastern Pacific, from Monterey Bay, California, to Cabo San Lucas, in Baja California, and in the Gulf of California.
Habitat: Rocky bottoms and kelp forests, generally from 3 to 30 m.
rules for the california sheephead
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
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.
Large teeth cause serious bites. Handle with a cloth or glove and release carefully.
in the kitchen
The flesh is white, of good quality, and sold fresh.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.01047, b = 3.09; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa pelo gênero e formato do corpo)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Bodianus pulcher (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Bodianus pulcherNames by country and language.
similar species
where 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: