cabezon
Scorpaenichthys marmoratus · Jordaniidae · predator
Bottom fish of rock and algae areas in the northeastern Pacific, often caught from the beach and from boats. Its roe is poisonous.
Also called: cabeçudo-marmorado, cabeçudo, cabezón
- maximum
- 99 cm
- record/max.
- 14.0 kg
- depth
- 0–200 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
tap or drag on the chart to read each hour · on a keyboard, arrow keyssee 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 cabezon
who is the cabezon
The marbled sculpin (cabezón) is of the family Jordaniidae. It reaches 99 cm and weighs up to 14 kg. It lives in the northeastern Pacific, from southeastern Alaska to Baja California, Mexico, on rock, sand and mud bottoms, and also in kelp beds, from 0 to 200 m deep. It eats crustaceans, fish and mollusks, both juveniles and adults. It is often caught by sport anglers, from the beach, from boats or from piers, and also by divers.
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 cabezon.
identification
Bottom fish with an elongated body, a large head in proportion to the body, scaleless skin and a nearly round tail fin. Its color is mottled, in shades of brown, green and red, which gives the species its name, and its belly is pale. It has a small fleshy appendage in the middle of the snout and two others, longer, behind the eyes.
where found
Found in the northeastern Pacific, from southeastern Alaska to Baja California, Mexico, in coastal and shelf waters.
Habitat: Rock, sand and mud bottoms, in kelp beds, from the shore down to 200 m.
rules for the cabezon
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.
Do not eat the roe, which is poisonous. As it is a bottom fish that can come from down to 200 m, the change in pressure causes barotrauma, so release it carefully.
in the kitchen
The flesh is good to eat, but the roe is poisonous and causes strong discomfort.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00389, b = 3.12; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa)). 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: Scorpaenichthys marmoratus (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Scorpaenichthys marmoratusNames by country and language.
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: