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
slide your finger or mouse over the chart to see each hoursee hour-by-hour table
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 lumptail searobin
how to recognize it
Moderately high head, wide between the eyes, with a broad snout and a long mouth reaching slightly past the eye; a smooth spine at the end of the preopercle. Two separate dorsal fins (the first with 10 spines). Grayish brown above and white below, with long black pectorals with light spots behind, and three short free rays. The first dorsal has a black blotch on its outer side, between the 4th and 5th spines, and the second dorsal and tail have rows of dark speckles that form bars on the tail.
Also called: cabrinha-do-pacífico, lumptail searobin, blackfin searobin
don't confuse with:
where found
open on the large mapWhere to look: Sand, mud and gravel bottoms; also in brackish waters.
Does not occur in Brazil. Eastern Pacific, from southern Baja California and the Gulf of California to Peru, through Central America and Colombia, and at the Galápagos and Malpelo. FishBase runs from the Columbia River (USA) to Chile, but the species is rare north of Baja California.
when to fish
best season
Fished all year; no documented season for the species.
best time of day
Any time. Bottom fish with no specific time data; natural bait on the bottom works at any hour (estimate).
what affects the lumptail searobin
cold and cold fronts
Little direct effect.
atmospheric pressure
Little direct effect.
moon
Little effect.
rain
Little effect; a flood can move the fish away from the shore.
water level
Not applicable at sea.
noise
Not very sensitive; bottom fishing does not require silence.
wind
Strong wind makes it hard to keep the boat over the bottom.
tide
Moderate current carries the bait to the sand bottom where the fish is.
depth
Generally 18 to 46 m, but found from 2 to 255 m.
how to fish
lures
- jig head with silicone shrimp dragged along the bottom
natural baits
- shrimp
- squid strips
- fish pieces
tip from an angler
Let the bait roll along the sand bottom, near the sinker, and use a small hook: the fish is small, and a large bait goes past without being taken.
- rod
- 6' to 7', 10 to 20 lb
- spinning / baitcasting reel
- spinning reel 3000 to 4000
- line
- braided line 15 to 25 lb
- leader
- fluorocarbon 20 to 30 lb, 1 m
- hook
- circle or single hook 1/0 to 2/0
accessories
- sinker, 60 to 150 g
- glove or cloth to hold the fish
- alicate
catch and release
Hold it with a cloth or glove: the opercle spines and the tips of the dorsal fin pierce the hand. Remove the hook with pliers and release it quickly. In Peru, release those under 20 cm.
rules for the lumptail searobin
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 federal waters of Mexico, recreational sport fishing allows each angler to keep up to 10 marine fish per day, no more than 5 of the same species. The Pacific cabrinha (rubio volador) is not among the species reserved for sport fishing (marlins, sailfish, swordfish, tarpon (sábalo), roosterfish and dorado, up to 50 nautical miles from shore, item 0.3 of the standard) and has no quota of its own. Fish over the quota must go back alive, and sport-caught fish may not be sold. From shore you need no permit; from a boat, you do (permits under the Federal Duties Law, item 4.3).
Peru: minimum size of 20 cm for the falso volador
20 cm total length (tolerance of up to 20% of smaller fish)confirm with the agency details
Ministerial Resolution 209-2001-PE, of the former Ministry of Fisheries (now PRODUCE), prohibits extracting, receiving, transporting, processing and selling the falso volador (Prionotus stephanophrys) under 20 cm total length. The annex allows up to 20% smaller fish in the catch. The rule dates from 2001, and the annex changed for other species after it: check with PRODUCE whether the value is still in force.
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 = 0.00955, b = 2.95; 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 lumptail searobin
Eastern Pacific cabrinha, from southern Baja California and the Gulf of California to Peru (FishBase extends the range from the Columbia River, USA, to Chile). Lives on sand, mud and gravel bottoms, from 2 to 255 m, generally 18 to 46 m, and enters brackish waters. Reaches 43 cm, but the common size is around 30 cm. It has a commercial fishery and is classed as a sport fish; in Peru it is the falso volador, with a legal minimum size of 20 cm. For anglers it is a bottom fish, caught from boats and beaches with small natural baits.
Family: Triglidae · predator
fun facts
- In Peru, the official minimum-size list calls it falso volador.
- Local names vary widely: rubio volador and vaca voladora in Mexico, gallina in Ecuador, gallinazo in Colombia and vocador in Peru.
in the kitchen
Small fish with white flesh; good fried, in soup or in fish stew.
similar species
sources and references (6)
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: Prionotus stephanophrys (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Prionotus stephanophrysNames by country and language.
- scientific Robertson, D. R. & Allen, G. R. (2024). Shorefishes of the Eastern Pacific online information system. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute: Prionotus stephanophrysDescription, colors, size (at least 43 cm), depth (2 to 255 m) and distribution (southern Baja California and the Gulf of California to Peru, Galápagos and Malpelo). Page checked Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific Eschmeyer, W. N.; Herald, E. S.; Hammann, H. (1983). A field guide to Pacific coast fishes of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.Main FishBase reference for sand and mud habitat.
- official Perú, Ministerio de Pesquería: Resolución Ministerial nº 209-2001-PE, tallas mínimas de captura y tolerancia máxima de ejemplares juveniles de principales peces marinos e invertebrados (26/06/2001)Text checked in the FAOLEX copy. Annex I lists common names, scientific names, lengths, type of measure and tolerance in separate columns; the falso volador (Prionotus stephanophrys) row was checked by column order: 20 cm, total length, 20% tolerance. Article 3 prohibits extracting, receiving, transporting, processing and selling below the sizes. We did not confirm whether the value is still in force or whether it was changed later for this species.
- 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)Species reserved for sport fishing (item 0.3), permits (4.3 and 4.14), rod and hooks (4.6), bait (4.7), daily quotas at sea (4.9.1) and in fresh water (4.9.2), catch and release (4.9.5), closed areas and seasons (4.10) and the ban on selling the fish (4.11). Text checked Oct 13, 2026. The text carries the signature date of Oct 14, 2013; the DOF publication date (Nov 25, 2013) is the one the catalog already uses.
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: